Care for a Riddle?
by Shadowed-Shikyo
Summary: When Dr. Lilli Collins was hired at Arkham Asylum she had no idea what lay in store for her. And now she's captured the undivided attention of one Edward Nygma, AKA The Riddler. RiddlerxOC
1. Lilli Collins

**I've been in a Batman mood as of late, more specifically for the The Riddler. He needs more love.**

**Batman belongs to DC and Bob Kane. Lilli belongs to me.**

**Constructive criticism and reviews are appreciated, flames are not.**

**As of 1/19/2014 this chapter has been edited.**

**-x-**

It was very strange and almost terrifying to have been hired to work at Arkham Asylum. Though Lilli Collins was no psychiatrist (Internal Medicine, actually) Arkham had actually contacted her offering a job. The pay was much better than the job she had at Gotham General and she couldn't help but be a little curious and decided that maybe it was time to broaden her horizons. So she took the job.

Even though she had her Master's and was more than qualified as a medical doctor, she was considered an intern until the head doctor, Dr. Gretchen Whistler, decided she had enough experience to take on patients by herself. So, she had to shadow several doctors in order to get a feel for what psychiatry was all about in order to learn more about the inmates.

"Even though you'll be a doctor to some patients here," Dr. Whistler had said, "you'll mostly be working in the Medical Facility in Arkham West."

And she was fine with that. Dr. Whistler already had her review notes and listen to tapes from some of the inmates and most of them made her shudder with horror.

"Dr. Collins, Dr. Whistler is ready for you now." One of the guards poked his head into her office.

"Thank you." Lilli said appreciatively. She stood up, gathering some of her notes, and walked out the door and down the hallway to meet with the elder doctor. Dr. Whistler was already waiting for her, looking prim and proper in her coat with her gray streaked hair up in a professional bun (the popular hairstyle for most of the female doctors on the island).

Lilli preferred wearing her white doctor's coat, left open, (something to keep her apart from the psychiatry trained doctors) over the gray closed coats of others. Her long ebony hair—usually a thick cascade of curls—was straightened and pulled back into a ponytail. "Hello Dr. Whistler." She greeted.

"Hello Lilli." The elder woman said back, she always referred to the younger staff by their names.

"Who is it today?" Lilli asked, praying it wasn't someone like Victor Zsasz (she read his file and didn't like it one bit).

"Edward Nygma." Dr. Whistler responded.

Lilli let out a small sigh of relief, even though Edward Nygma (AKA The Riddler) wasn't as dangerous as someone like Zsasz or the Joker, he was still considerably dangerous. Many of his riddles forewarned people of danger, but many of them couldn't even figure out the answer until it was too late. It was because of his deranged idea that only smart people (like him) should only live while the stupid (those who couldn't solve the riddles) should die. Though, only Batman had been the only one who could solve any of his riddles so far, which was why he frequently ended up at Arkham.

The interview room was simple, a tape recorder on the desk and chairs on either side. Though one chair was specifically for the inmate so they could be chained down and couldn't hurt the doctor talking with them. Dr. Whistler sat down, and arranged her notes neatly, waiting for the guards to bring Edward in. Lilli sat in a chair that was set away from the table in the corner. She was only observing. There was no need for her to participate. Not that she really wanted to, she wasn't keen on being a psychiatrist.

The door buzzed and a guard opened it, pushing a man through the door. He was dressed in the orange jumpsuit that all Arkham inmates wore with short brown hair but he had moss green eyes that were currently trained on Dr. Whistler.

"Dr. Whistler," he greeted. "How nice to see you again." He sat down at the table and allowed the guards to chain him to his chair.

"Hello Edward." Dr. Whistler replied back. "I heard you threatened Dr. Jackson with a riddle?"

The man scoffed. "Dr. Jackson, he's a buffoon. _Anyone_ of intelligence could have figured out that riddle."

"And how was he supposed to know that his car would be bombed? He, and you, were lucky that he wasn't in it."

Edward scoffed again. "What a shame, the world would have been rid of another idiot."

Lilli couldn't help but feel mortified at his words. How could he so callously talk about another human being's life like that? She had become a doctor so she could help others and it was her job to _save_ lives. And here this man was, talking about taking another's life like it was nothing. Pushing her feelings aside, she made some notes in her folder. Unfortunately, Edward picked up the sound of pencil scratching on paper and turned his eyes to the corner, locking onto Lilli's form.

"Why, hello there." The woman froze and looked up, her hazel eyes locking with his green eyes. "I didn't see you." Edward smiled. She was beautiful. A stunning creature, how could he have not noticed her? "And what is your name?"

"Leave her alone, Edward," Dr. Whistler said. "She's just an intern observing."

"But still," Edward implored, his eyes still locked onto her form. She was now avoiding his gaze; instead she was hastily going over her notes before looking back up. "A name would satisfy my curiosity about this new doctor in Arkham, _for now_."

At those words, Lilli felt a shiver go down her spine. "Dr. Collins." She answered him.

The Riddler grinned, showing off a gleaming set of teeth. "How about a first name?"

"You only asked for my name and I gave you the one that patients here will refer to me by." Lilli replied, sounding braver than she felt.

Her answer only delighted him further, she had spunk but did she have wit? "Would you care for a riddle?" He asked.

"_Edward_!" Dr. Whistler snapped. Her control of the session was spiraling out of control. Her finger was already hovering over the button that would summon the guards outside the door.

"It's alright Dr. Whistler." Lilli reassured her. After all, what's the harm in one riddle? "What is it?"

Edward was positively delighted. "I'll give you an easy one:

"_From the beginning of eternity_

"_To the end of time and space_

"_To the beginning of every end_

"_And at the end of every place_

"_What am I?"_

She repeated it a few times in her head. "The letter E." She replied.

He smiled widely. "Very good!" At last, someone in this Godforsaken hellhole who could match him in intellect. "How about another one: _What belongs to you and is most important but others use it more than you?"_

That riddle was easy, she'd heard it before. "My name."

"Excellent! Which I have yet to hear your first name, might I have it now?"

"Edward, that's enough!" Dr. Whistler burst out angrily.

"Oh, but Dr. Whistler, it's been _so_ long since I've met anyone who was smart enough to even solve my riddles." The only other person had been Batman, but Edward would never, ever, call Batman his equal. He was just… continuously lucky. "One more, please?" He begged. This time… he would stump her, unless she could actually solve it. If she could… Happiness swelled inside of him at the thought.

Lilli almost felt frozen to the spot, she wasn't expecting this for the first interview that she'd be shadowing (she'd been at Arkham for almost two months but she worked in the Medical Facility, getting herself acquainted there). She gulped nervously. While she wasn't stupid, she wasn't extremely smart that would put her on a genius level (she worked her butt off through med school) and riddles were something she never bothered with. The first one was obvious and someone else had already asked her the second riddle once before.

Dr. Whistler glanced at the younger doctor, who looked back at her helplessly. "I think we're done for the day." Dr. Whistler pressed the buzzer. "Guards!"

"But we're not done yet!" Edward protested as the guards filed in and worked on releasing him from the chair and escort him back to his cell. "_When one does not know what it is, then it is something; but when one knows what it is, then it is nothing._" The guards pulled him from the chair and he looked expectantly at Dr. Collins who had a look of confusion on her face.

But surely, _surely_, she would get it. She _had_ to. Otherwise…

Lilli felt panicky as she repeated the riddle over and over in her head, she tried to break it down and look at it, but that didn't work. If she didn't solve it, what would happen? She heard nasty things would happen to the people who never solved The Riddler's riddles.

_Think Lilli! When one does not know what it is, then it is something; but when one knows what it is, then it is nothing. Now, why does that sound like something we went over in psychology at Gotham University?_ As she thought back to that class and repeated the riddle again, she had it. By a brilliant stroke of luck, she had it.

The guards had pulled Edward out of the room and the door had almost shut but the answer tore from her throat, "A riddle!" She shouted. The door closed with a click and Lilli let out a sigh of relief.

"Lilli!" Dr. Whistler turned on her. "Why did you encourage him in his delusions?"

"I'm sorry, Dr. Whistler." Lilli replied. "It's just that… wouldn't it have been better to play along? After all, the only reason why Dr. Jackson's car blew up is because he couldn't solve one of his riddles."

Dr. Whistler sighed. "Though in some cases, yes, but he's extremely fickle. He might try and slip you more riddles." The elder doctor looked sternly at Lilli. "And if that happens, you come straight to me. Is that clear?"

"Crystal." Lilli replied and she stood up, putting her notes away.

"And do be careful from now on, there's a reason why these people are criminally insane."

-x-

Edward could barely contain his glee as the guards escorted him back to his cell, she had gotten it. _She actually solved the riddle._ There was someone on this island (besides him) who was actually smart! And was beautiful to boot… What a bonus.

"Will you shut up?" One of the guards escorting him hissed.

Ever since Dr. Collins shouted the answer just as the door ("A riddle!") he had not stopped giggling and smiling like a child who had just received his favorite piece of candy.

Whoever this Dr. Collins was (and he was _determined_ to find out her name), she now had his full and undivided attention. And he had dibs on her.

So now he had to make sure everyone else knew it. Including her.

-x-

"I heard you had a lovely session with Edward Nygma today." Sarah Cassidy commented to Lilli in the cafeteria when she joined the dark haired doctor at the lunch table.

"More like harrowing." Lilli replied. "He asked me riddles and Dr. Whistler wasn't happy that I played along with him."

"With good reason," Sarah replied. "You get them wrong or even can't answer, he gets angry and then he comes up with some scheme to kill you or inflict bodily harm. The bright side is, he sends you a riddle first, so you know it's coming. No one else does that."

"Still, I don't think he's as dangerous as some of the other criminals here…" Lilli trailed off at the thought, next week the Joker was scheduled to come in for a medical exam in order to ensure that his body was healing after the Titan fiasco nearly ten months ago.

She didn't want to think about it just yet.

"Well, these people are criminally insane and it's our job to help them as best we can." The redhead said, though she sounded a little tired when she said it. She, too, had her share of what the people imprisoned on the island can do. She would never forget what Zsasz tried to do to her.

"Yeah, doctor's duty." Lilli said hollowly. "I'm just not cut out for therapy. I'd much prefer to stay in the medical wing."

"I know, but it's policy here that every doctor have their own patients. It's to help strengthen the relationships between the staff and inmates. Besides, I wouldn't want to be holed up in the Medical Facility all day. There're too many chances for an inmate to go nuts."

"They're putting more guards in there, apparently there's room for it in the budget now. I'm surprised. Didn't repairs to the island cost almost three million?"

"I heard Bruce Wayne made a generous donation, Lord knows we need all the funding we can get to house these people." Sarah said.

"Ah."

"Hey, I know!" Sarah exclaimed and Lilli looked to her colleague curiously, "I have a therapy session with Jervis Tetch tomorrow, would you like to sit in on that?"

"Jervis Tetch… Isn't he the Mad Hatter?"

Sarah nodded. "Mhm, he's pretty harmless most of the time. Not as bad as some of the other inmates. I'd rather you sit in on sessions with the more docile ones than someone like Joker or Killer Croc." Both women shuddered at that thought.

"Alright, I'll do it." Lilli said thoughtfully, "I'll have to tell Dr. Whistler, I think she won't care. She'll just be happy that I'm getting experience."

"Yep," Sarah agreed and the both of them went on eating their lunch and made plans for a weekend shopping trip.

-x-

Dr. Gretchen Whistler had a lot of patience. It was needed for her job when she had to deal with people who didn't want treatment like Joker, Killer Croc, or Zsasz but her fellow doctor, Stephen Kellerman, was severely trying hers. "You want Dr. Collins to sit in on a session with Jonathan Crane?" She cried out in disbelief.

Jonathan Crane, AKA The Scarecrow, had escaped during the incident (along with Killer Croc and Bane) but was brought in by Batman three months ago (Killer Croc had been brought back two weeks ago but Bane was still on the loose.)

Kellerman nodded. "It'll be good experience for her—"

"She's only been here two months!" Whistler interrupted him. "She's a main part of the medical team! She only needs some of the low class patients!" Quite honestly, Edward Nygma was the highest level patient she wanted to do with Lilli. She wasn't trained to handle any patients who were higher than that. She would meet them in the medical facility anyway and that was enough for the girl. She would be meeting Joker next week…

"And Dr. Crane won't have any toxin on him! There'll be a full body search!" Dr. Kellerman argued. "You can't protect her forever and the sooner she meets most of these crazed lunatics, the better off she'll be. She'll know what she's up against!"

Dr. Whistler knew he was right. The last intern she had taken under her wing was Harleen Quinzel and she had made the grievous mistake of letting the girl sit in on sessions with the Joker. And she eventually let her try and treat him on her own. And now look at her… Every time she laid eyes on Harley Quinn, she felt a pang of guilt wrack through her body.

"Alright," Whistler relented. "She may observe but you keep her away from him. We all know what Dr. Crane is capable of and I don't want to lose _another_ esteemed doctor to these people."

-x-

After lunch, Lilli had gone back to the medical facility and continued where she left off yesterday. She went over paperwork for the inmates who had medical conditions and scheduled procedures for them in the future. A few patients were brought in with minor injuries but other than that, it was a slow afternoon.

So she was happy to finally go home at the end of the day. She clocked out and climbed into her car and drove back to the mainland. Her apartment was in one of the better parts of town. It was close to the where most of Gotham's elite lived. And Lilli was fine with that. It meant it was safer than most places.

She unlocked her front door and heard little feet patter towards her. "Hello Ludwig." She greeted as a small tabby cat meowed at her.

Ludwig, (yes, named after Ludwig van Beethoven) was an extremely vocal cat, especially when he was hungry or wanted to be petted. Lilli knelt down and scratched him behind the ear. Almost immediately a loud purr began to sound from his throat. "Thought so, you were just lonely." She chuckled as she dropped her purse, kicked off her shoes, and scooped the cat into her arms. Lilli settled onto the couch in the living room, Ludwig curled comfortably on Lilli's lap, and turned on the TV just in time to catch the seven o'clock news.

But while she was safe and warm in the comfort of her home; back in Arkham, a certain villain giggled maniacally as he plotted out his next course of action: finding out Dr. Collins first name.

"Oh, we are going to have so much fun together, you and I." Edward giggled quietly. "There's no running from The Riddler, my dear."


	2. Jonathan Crane

**Batman belongs to DC and Bob Kane. The things that you don't recognize belong to me.**

**And I present: Chapter two of **_**Care for a Riddle?**_

**Enjoy!**

**As of 1/19/2014 this chapter has been edited.**

**-x-**

The weather had made a turn for the worst overnight. Yesterday had been fairly decent, a cloudy day and only a little wind but today it was raining heavily. A typical day for early September, it was always rainy. But Lilli was thankful it wasn't storming. She didn't mind storms but she never liked driving in one, she preferred to be in the safety of her house.

Lilli couldn't help but notice as she drove towards the island, that Arkham was a menacing sight with the dark clouds in the background. She could understand why so many people wanted to avoid it at all costs and why she received looks of horror mixed with pity when they learned it was where she worked.

The rain had lightened up when she arrived at Arkham but it didn't cheer up Lilli's mood. It was supposed to rain all day and she wasn't exactly excited about walking from building to building in the rain (she heard it was worse when it was winter and there was snow on the ground.) But she trudged on, slightly dry underneath her umbrella. The guards gave her a slight nod of greeting when she presented her I.D. to them and the large doors to the Asylum swung open.

She gratefully stepped into the dry and the doors closed behind her with a loud _CLANK_. Even with the doors shut, the main hallway had a draft and she shivered. _W__hy didn't they fix the heating when they repaired the island?_ Lilli thought irately as she made her way down the hallway that would lead her to Arkham East. The repairs had also brought new additions: the Intensive Treatment facility had been expanded and became larger and hallways were built in that would lead people to Arkham East and West. Unfortunately, they didn't build anything like that for the pass from East to West and walking to the buildings on the other parts of the island still included being outside.

The doctor broke out at a fast pace as she made her way to Arkham Mansion, she would stop by her office first and get some files before heading for the medical facility. She should really petition to have her office moved to the medical facility. If she was to be spending most of her days there, it would be sensible to have it there instead of running back to the mansion every time she needed something from her office.

Another reason to get it moved was that it was horribly small. She didn't have a luxurious office like the rest of the staff because she didn't spend much of her time there. With the combination of her desk and chair the only bare space was the foot and a half area between her desk and the door. It made her feel claustrophobic so she didn't really like to spend time in it unless Dr. Whistler wanted her to go over patient notes (God forbid she leave the mansion with them. Dr. Whistler lectured her on letting sensitive information leave the mansion) or wait for her when it was time to observe a therapy session.

Today, there was a sizable stack of files on her desk. They were mainly from the medical staff, files of patients who would be coming in today for check-ups (most of them were the inmates who met with Batman before landing back in their cells or some of the guards had to use excessive force to get them under control.) But on the topmost file, there was a post-it note; Lilli plucked it off the file and read:

_Lilli,_

_Dr. Kellerman has requested that you accompany him and observe his session with Dr. Jonathan Crane today at 1 O'clock. You are to report to his office beforehand and the two of you will go to the interview rooms. Do be careful and try not to make a spectacle of yourself like you did with Mr. Nygma yesterday._

_-Gretchen_

(It was amazing how tiny Dr. Whistler's handwriting was.)

A hollow feeling grew in her stomach as she read and reread the note. Lilli had to sit down after a while; she was going to meet Jonathan Crane who was also known as Scarecrow? The man had a terrible obsession with fear, she had heard his desire to cure fear set him down the path of insanity and turned him into a criminal. His fear toxin was something also to consider, he _always_ found a way to smuggle it _everywhere_.

Ten months ago, they had brought in so many people who were injured from Arkham when the inmates were let loose and gained control on the island. She had been one of the doctors on call that night and she would _never_ forget the injuries that many of them had. The most vivid had been the ones who had been sprayed with Scarecrow's toxin…

-x-

"_Get him in the O.R., stat." Lilli commanded as soon as she stepped away from the man on the stretcher._

"_Dr. Collins, they're already operating on three other men at the moment and there are even more waiting to go into surgery. There aren't enough surgeons—"_

"_Get him up there." She said shortly and swiftly walked away but not before grabbing a nurse. "I want you to call all of the surgeons on staff who are not on call. Get them here, we're understaffed right now and _don't take no for an answer_." Lilli didn't even wait for the nurse to answer her; she was already heading off to check on the next batch of patients._

"_Dr. Collins," an intern handed her a chart, looking pale. "T-the patients…"_

"_What is it?" She asked impatiently, there were lives in danger; this was _not _the time to be timid._

"_They've been infected…" He whimpered._

_Infected? What on Earth was he talking about? She read the chart and almost immediately she understood: they had been infected with Scarecrow's fear toxin._

"_Are they secure?"_

_The intern nodded. "The orderlies strapped them down and we're trying to calm them down but…"_

"_Quarantine them, immediately." Lilli said. "I'll be there soon." She grabbed another passing intern who was carrying several IVs. The first intern scurried off and the second was protesting, saying he had to get the IVs to surgery. "I know." She said hurriedly. "After you do that, get the Gotham police on the phone. Tell them that we have people here who are infected with Scarecrow's toxin and we need antidotes ASAP. And if they deny it, tell them we know that they are connected to Batman who _can_ supply us with them. There are lives at stake here. Go." The intern nodded, his face paling at the thought of harassing the police._

"_Dr. Collins, it's just not working. We can't get them to calm down." An orderly was almost in hysterics as Lilli made her way to them._

"_Let me see them." She demanded. "If worse comes to worst we'll give them sedatives."_

_She went through the door and was met with agonized screaming and the sight of men frantically trying to free themselves from their bonds. She made her way to the nearest man. "Sir, please, you're safe now…" She tried to pacify him but the orderlies were right, he wouldn't calm down._

"_They're on me, they're all over me!" He was shrieking. "Get them off, get them off!" His crazed eyes locked onto her shocked form and his screaming intensified. "Get away, get away, get away… NOOOO!" The man's eyes rolled up into his head and his tongue sagged out of his mouth, saliva dripping freely. His breathing stilled and she knew that his heart had given out from the fear._

_The screaming dulled, she was in shock; she had never seen anything like this before. She couldn't even help them, she didn't know how. A man had died right in front of her eyes and she couldn't do anything. She was a doctor, she was charged with saving lives and she couldn't even save the lives that were in the room with her, the lives that were screaming with fear at invisible enemies._

_She was scared._

-x-

Lilli shook her head quickly, trying to rid herself of the memory but it lingered. It always lingered.

But no matter how much she wanted to run, to tell Dr. Whistler that she never wanted to go near that man, she couldn't. If it was a request (a nice word to replace order) from her superior, she really couldn't go against it.

She had to face her fears.

A sort of giggle escaped her throat. How funny, she had to face a fear by sitting in the same room with a man who reveled in making people face their own fears (and eventually succumb to them). _Maybe_ she was going slowly insane in this place. But, it was time to bite the bullet. She would just have to tell Sarah she couldn't make the session with Tetch as it was during the same time as Crane's.

She turned the computer that sat on her desk on, it was a slightly newer model but she had a better one over at the medical facility so she didn't use this one often. Thankfully, she only needed it to send Sarah an e-mail, which she quickly typed out:

_Sarah,_

_I won't be able to sit in on your session with Tetch today. Dr. Kellerman wants me to be with him when he talks to Dr. Crane. I'm a bit nervous… Wish me luck!_

_-Lilli_

-x-

The medical facility was pretty empty. She was usually the first to arrive. The rest of the doctors would be in their offices or they would be taking their time to even getting here. A lot of them were apprehensive about treating the inmates here. In fact, she noticed that many of them were cynical when it came to treating anyone on the island. Perhaps it was all the years they had spent working here and the little improvement they've made. She didn't know.

She spent her time sorting files and finally going through the ones that she brought from her office; she had been right, most of them were just various patients who had been on the receiving end of a beating from some of the guards. Lilli frowned; they were supposed to be professionals, why did they always insist of beating the people the doctors were supposed to treat? No wonder no one was making any progress with any of them.

"You're here early, Doctor." Lilli nearly jumped at the sound behind her, she turned around only to see another doctor who had just entered the room. A clamor behind him told her that there were more staff members on the way.

"Hi Jeff," Lilli greeted. "You scared me."

Jeff Hardy, one of the surgeons on staff, had been here for nearly three years. To most of the doctors, he was kind and a bit gentle with them but when one of the inmates was brought in, he changed into a rugged and cold person. Most of them changed when an inmate was brought into the facility, it was how they protected themselves from the horror that was being kept here. One of the other doctors told her a horrific story of when Victor Zsasz had gotten loose in the medical facility and killed three people on staff, leaving them in a scene where they looked as if they were looking over someone's records.

(It was that incident that led Lilli to being hired at Arkham.)

"How's the intern work doing?" Jeff asked her, setting his own files down.

Lilli sighed. "Alright, I'd really just prefer to work here but I can't. Later today, I'm sitting in on Dr. Kellerman's session with Jonathan Crane."

Jeff's head snapped up, a surprised look on his face. "Scarecrow?" He asked.

"Mhm." Lilli nodded.

"Then he's looking to give Crane away." Jeff shook his head. "A lot of the bigger criminals are always being shunted from doctor to doctor. Most of them get tired of trying to help them and then get no results." He laughed hollowly. "Then they snap because these criminals drag them into their own insanity. I'm surprised we haven't been locked up with them."

Normally Lilli would have been shocked but she's heard this speech from him before (first time she really was shocked.) In fact, most of the medical team had sort of the same mentality (and a _lot_ of them went out for drinks on Friday night.) "Well, we're different from them." She said flatly. She didn't bother with trying to argue with him, she already tried that.

God, this was a dismal place.

Once Jeff was safely immersed in the files of them patients he would be seeing later today, Lilli went over to one of the computers to run her files through the system and found that Sarah had sent her an e-mail:

_Hey Lilli,_

_Dr. Kellerman wants you to observe Crane? Be careful, Crane's a difficult one and I'll bet anything that Kellerman wants to pass him off to someone else. But I seriously doubt Dr. Whistler will let him pass him to you. Also, don't let him find out about anything that makes you uncomfortable or about any insecurities that you may have. He'll use it against you._

_Good Luck,_

_-Sarah_

Well that was encouraging.

Lilli managed to squash the nervous feeling that was beginning to stir in her stomach. Even though they were trying to help her, it wasn't making her feel any better. And because she knew what Crane would be looking for, it didn't help her. It only made her feel more vulnerable and she hadn't even met the man yet.

-x-

Sadly, the morning went by quickly. The patients she saw had snapped at her and made leering comments but the threatening stances of the guards kept them in line. She had a quick lunch with Sarah (who gave her a hard hug and a "good luck") at noon and then at quarter to one, she was heading to Kellerman's office, a clipboard and Crane's file in hand.

"Good afternoon Dr. Collins." Dr. Kellerman said curtly when Lilli knocked and entered his office. He had a much bigger office than Lilli's broom closet and was currently behind his computer doing who knows what.

"Dr. Kellerman." Lilli greeted back, trying to keep a polite tone in her voice.

The elder man broke away from his computer and pulled some files together. "Now Dr. Collins, I know that you aren't a trained psychiatrist and that Crane would be one of the last patients you'd want to meet here but I believe it is necessary to see first-hand to see what some of these people are like. This will help you in the end. Trust me."

"I'm just not exactly sure what I'm supposed to do if he starts talking to me." She admitted to him.

"Just keep all focus on him and off of you." He told her and then stood up, having gathered all the materials he needed. Kellerman motioned to her to follow him and together they left the office and headed for the Intensive Treatment Facility.

She couldn't help but notice that Dr. Kellerman also seemed to become more uptight and nervous as they neared their destination and then she remembered something she read in the file she was carrying. Crane had gassed him during one of their sessions so it was no wonder he was looking to try and pass the former doctor to someone else.

The room they were in was practically the same as the one Lilli had been in yesterday. Dr. Kellerman settled himself at the table where he would be sitting across from Crane and Lilli pulled out another chair and placed it in a corner, a safe distance away from the table. Dr. Kellerman just stared at the door where the guards would be bringing Crane in silently and Lilli shuffled her notes, trying to give herself something to do while she waited.

They didn't have to wait long. There was a noise outside the door and the sound of clanking chains, he was here. The door slowly opened and a couple security guards led in Jonathan Crane, The Scarecrow.

He was dressed in the orange jumpsuit but he was nearly swimming in it, he was extremely thin and his face (probably once handsome) had sunken. But his eyes were a bright shade of blue, they looked so icy as if they could freeze one's soul… or paralyze it with fear.

Crane didn't say anything but sat down and allowed himself to be chained to his chair. Dr. Kellerman didn't say anything but instead, leaned forward and pressed the record button on the tape recorder.

"Hello Stephen, how are you today?" Crane said immediately. Lilli had been told that Crane liked to think that he was the one in charge of the session.

"This is my session, Dr. Crane." Kellerman replied back automatically.

"Of course." Crane smiled as if the man across from him said something very funny.

"During our last session," Dr. Kellerman went on. "We were discussing your past and we had just gotten up to when you were teaching at Gotham University. But then you were caught for conducting experiments on some of your students and subsequently fired." He shuffled through some of the papers. No doubt there was a copy of the report in there.

"Ahh, I remember those students." There was a gleam in Crane's blue eyes. "They were eager at first, all they knew was that they would be helping cure affiliations of the mind. But by the time they realized it what was going on, it was too late. They were already lost to their fears. There was this one girl, Lucy, she was a brilliant student; so eager to learn what the mind had to offer. But there was one thing… She was terrified of drowning. Poor thing, I tried to help her. I really did."

"Lucy Hughes died of asphyxiation." Dr. Kellerman said sternly.

"She was unable to overcome her fear. She thought she was drowning."

"You poisoned her."

"All for the sake of my research. Fear is the reason for everything. People marry because they're afraid to die alone, such as you. People get educations and jobs because they're afraid of being forced onto the streets. Fear is the master of all emotions! No one can escape from it as you have learned Stephen, as so many people have learned but what about you? What do you fear?"

He was looking directly at Lilli. So he hadn't been ignoring her, he was just waiting for the right time to talk to her.

Lilli didn't answer him, she merely looked away. Crane chuckled. "Do _I_ frighten you?"

So it had been a mistake to look away but she looked back at him, her hazel eyes locking onto his form. "You don't."

"Too bad. Then _what_ do you fear, Doctor?"

"Collins." She replied.

"Dr. Collins." He repeated and the looked to Dr. Kellerman. "Looking to trade me away, eh Stephen?"

He said nothing, confirming Sarah's suspicions.

"I'm just a medical doctor." She informed the two men. "I won't be the one to be treating your mental issues."

"Ahh, someone who came to this place to treat the maladies of the body and not the mind. Is that what you fear, not being able to cure the mental disorders of the people here?" Crane smiled nastily at her.

She merely looked at him. "I save lives. I don't corrupt them."

"That doesn't answer the question but you save lives, you say? Do you fear not being able to save them?"

Her mind flashed back to the scene in the hospital ten months ago, in that tiny room filled with screaming… (Why wasn't Dr. Kellerman trying to intervene right about now?) She wanted to tell him that she had witnessed firsthand what he was capable of but that would be playing right into his hand so she kept silent.

Crane smirked. "I'm right, aren't I? You're scared of being unable to save lives. If you were a psychiatrist you could always make excuses if your patient goes off the deep end, give them medication or shunt them to another doctor." His eyes flickered over to Dr. Kellerman who was strangely silent. "But as a medical doctor, no, you can't do that. When people are on the brink of death, it is up to _you_ to save them. And when you can't, it's your fault. Everyone blames _you_ for failing. How does that make you feel Dr. Collins?"

He touched a nerve. Lilli shot Dr. Kellerman a glare, trying to tell him without words that Crane was out of line and he needed to intervene. "I save lives." She repeated to Crane. "I give people a fighting chance to live."

"I think that's enough for today." Finally, _finally_ Dr. Kellerman was intervening. "Guards!"

There was something unsettling in the smile that Crane had on his face, it was almost as if he won something and he allowed the guards to take him out of the room. Lilli sighed and stood up, she felt slightly worn, and she hadn't expected him to find one of her insecurities so quickly. He really was a genius when it came to the mind.

"So," Dr. Kellerman was saying. "How do you feel about taking Jonathan Crane as one of your patients when you're ready?"

She rounded on him, forgetting momentarily that he was her superior. "Are you _nuts_?" She cried out, "He's _insane_, he knows how to get under someone's skin and I don't even want to think about what he could've done if he had his toxin on him!" Lilli took a couple deep breaths. "No, Dr. Kellerman." She said as calmly as she could. "I am not trained nor able to treat him. You will have to continue treating him yourself." And with those words hanging in the air, she stalked out of the room.

-x-

Lilli had honestly taken Sarah and Dr. Whistler's words to heart but somehow Crane had managed to find something about her that made her heart twinge with fear. How did he manage to find out that she held her job in a high regard? She _knew_ that she couldn't save everyone who came her way but it didn't stop her from trying her hardest. And yes, sometimes when she couldn't help them she couldn't handle the failure or telling the families the news but she kept on.

So how could one man unravel her thoughts and feelings towards her job in ten minutes? She understood why people didn't like him.

Although she normally didn't like her office, it felt like a safe haven to her right now. She closed the door and collapsed into her chair and almost threw Crane's file across the room but the sight of emerald green paper on her desk that _wasn't_ there before made her freeze. She hadn't been out of her office for more than half an hour, who could've put the paper there? Lillie lowered the files slowly and picked up the little piece of paper and her heart froze at the sight of a black question mark. Trembling, she turned the paper over and written in black ink was a riddle:

_A thousand colored folds stretch towards the sky,_

_Atop a tender strand,_

_Rising from the land,_

'_Til killed by a maiden's hand,_

_Perhaps a token of love, perhaps to say goodbye._

Lilli read and then reread it a few times until she got the answer and the freeze in her heart turned to ice. She exited her office and strode over to Dr. Whistler's office door and pounded on it.

"Lilli?" Dr. Whistler opened the door, frowning. "Did something happen during your session with Stephen…?"

Lilli shook her head and held the paper out to her, the question mark side up. "He sent me a riddle." Her voice quavered slightly. Dr. Whistler's face paled and she gestured Lilli to enter her office.

The elder woman pulled the paper out of Lilli's hands, closed the door, and turned the paper over, reading the riddle. She looked at Lilli after a full minute. "The answer is flowers."

Lilli nodded. "I don't get why though."

Dr. Whistler looked grave. "Edward has a strange sense of logic that has been warped by his love of riddles. I suppose him sending you a riddle with the answers as flowers was his way of sending you flowers."

"Oh."

"Yes, I will hold onto this for now and I'll make it clear to him that he is not to come anywhere near you or send you his riddles." She sighed. "There'll be an inquiry as to how he managed to get it to you seeing as he's been in his cell since yesterday."

"Okay."

"If you wish Lilli, you may take the rest of the day off."

Lilli shook her head. "I'll just brave out the rest of the day, and thank you."

Dr. Whistler looked at her sadly. "I'm sorry about all this. We'll get this straightened out, I promise."

Lilli voiced her thanks again and left, heading back to her office and pulled the rest of her files together and then briskly left her office. As she passed her desk, the wind from her pace blew off a hidden emerald green paper but she didn't notice it and left the room. The paper fluttered gently down into her open bag.

-x-

That night, Lilli was sitting on her couch, her legs drawn up to her chest, Ludwig curled up next to her, and a glass of wine sitting on her coffee table. She had opened the bottle when she found the green paper in her bag. She read the riddle a couple times (it was currently next to her wine glass) and then sunk into a sort of panic. Why was he targeting her like this? If Crane was one thing, attacking her about her job, then Edward was doing a fine job of sending her riddles that she didn't even get.

Both of them were geniuses when it came to mind games.

She reached forward and picked up the glass, catching a glimpse of the riddle in the process:

_If you've got it, you want to share it, but if you share it, you haven't got it!_

A secret.

-x-

That same night Edward Nygma practically danced down the hallways of Arkham. Breaking out of his cell had become so simple and easy, he could do it in his sleep. Using his genius intellect, he managed to slip his gorgeous doctor a couple riddles but he didn't know if she found them. Well, he did leave them on her desk so she should have gotten them.

But he wasn't concerned with that now. Right now, he was currently making his way to the file room where the personnel files were stored. He _had_ to know her name, he didn't like knowing. He always had to know.

Breaking into the file room was a cinch, the security was poor, and he hadn't even met a security guard since he left his cell. This was too easy.

On one side were the files of all the inmates, he had already broke in once before to read his file (it made for good reading material) but he wanted the other side: the files of the ones who worked here.

Edward opened the _C_ drawer and began to thumb through the files looking for her last names and was rewarded with a file labeled: _Collins, L._

He eagerly pulled the file open and began to read:

_Collins, Lilith Antoinette._

_DOB: 1984, Oct. 25_

Her name was Lilith and she was twenty-six years old. It was extremely fitting for her. She was a gorgeous beauty with an old fashioned name. He liked it. He liked it a lot.

Edward Nygma plopped down onto the floor and began to read the rest of the file slowly so he could memorize _everything_.

Nothing would escape him.

-x-

**Oh Eddie, you are so deliciously evil. **

**I hope I got Scarecrow's character down pretty well. His looks are based off of Cillian Murphy's Scarecrow (can you say delicious?). And thanks go to KrysofSorrow for that last riddle there, it'll be popping up again soon.**

**See ya in Chapter three!**


	3. A Riddle a Day Keeps the Doctor Afraid

**Okay. So wow. I wrote this on a whim last year and I had no idea that it would get so popular. Seventy-two reviews, you guys. Thank you so much.**

**I apologize that I took forever with this chapter, I'm sure some of you decided that I have up on it but because people kept reviewing I decided to continue on with it. So, onwards!**

**As of 1/19/2014 this chapter has been edited.**

**-x-**

Lilli slept badly throughout the whole night. She kept tossing and turning (eventually kicking an irate Ludwig off the bed.) Her mind was fixated on the riddle she had found in her bag. Why was he targeting her like this? Was this _normal_? She knew the dangers that this job would bring, Quincy Sharp had told her what could happen in the asylum, the mortality rate. He had even told her the fate of Dr. Penelope Young, all to make sure she could handle working there.

But this seemed too much. What was she supposed to do if one of them started stalking her? Should she tell Dr. Whistler or even Mr. Sharp? Or better yet, track down the Dark Knight himself? Lili snorted at the thought, she could already imagine that conversation. _"Excuse me Mr. Batman but I'm being stalked by the Riddler, could you do something about it please?"_ Yeah, real smooth.

Eventually Lili was able to settle into a light sleep until her alarm quickly woke her up. She hit the 'off' button and turned onto her side. There were days before when she didn't want to go back to Arkham but today she was tempted to call in sick and hide under her covers. _Perhaps I should look for other places to work like going back to Gotham General._ She knew they would take her back in a heartbeat but if she wanted to work elsewhere, she couldn't get a bad reputation with her superiors at Arkham. With that in mind, she hauled herself out of bed and made for the bathroom.

Thirty minutes later she was locking her apartment door behind her and heading down to her car, her mind in a muddled cloud. If she had to shadow another therapy session she was going to scream—just not in the presence of Jonathan Crane. She shuddered. There was another person she didn't want to think about and it was only Thursday.

A drink was sounding extremely good right about now…

…Oh God, she was turning into an alcoholic. _Let's get it together._ She rapped her head hard with a knuckle. She would get through this. There was nothing to be worried about.

-x-

"How'd it go?" Sarah came up beside Lilli.

Lilli looked up from her charts, "huh?"

"Crane. How did it go?" Sarah repeated, worry and curiosity were evident on her face.

"Unsettling." Lilli replied. She tucked her clipboard against her side.

"That bad?" The two women hurried down the hall, avoiding another doctor who was muttering to himself.

"He talked to me for two minutes, I barely spoke to him at all, and yet he..." Lilli trailed off. She didn't know how to finish her sentence. Only a few sentences and he knew her fears. He knew that she held her job in high regard.

"There's a reason why he was head doctor here once." Sarah said gently. "He has a brilliant mind, even if he's a psychopath."

"Yeah..." Lilli swiped her card and the door leading to their offices opened. "What's your schedule for today?"

"Not much." Sarah sighed. "One session with Harley Quinn and then spend the rest of the day going over notes. You?"

"Just dropping these charts off and then off to the medical ward." She replied. They parted and Lilli headed for her little office. With a feeling of apprehension, she opened the door and surveyed the room carefully.

Nothing. She sighed in relief. She dropped the charts on her desk. "Where did I put those other charts?" She murmured. There were more patient charts that she was supposed to have for today. She opened her desk drawer and stopped. "No."

Sitting on top of her charts was another green paper. Gingerly, she picked it up and read:

_I live in water_

_If you cut my head I'm at your door_

_If you cut my tail I'm fruit_

_If you cut both I'm with you._

_What am I?_

Fear sparked through her. Fear and anger. How the hell was he getting out of his cell? She crumpled the paper and threw it in her wastebasket.

-x-

"All set." Lilli announced and leaned away from the patient. He silently leered at her but allowed the guards to take him away. She ignored him and busied herself with washing her medical tools. The used syringe went into the used medical tools box and disposed of her latex gloves. The morning filled with patients kept her mind off the riddle she found in her office. At first she wanted to go to Dr. Whistler and tell her like she promised but she decided that she didn't want to bother the elderly doctor.

If it escalated, she would go straight to Sharp and if it didn't get resolved then, she would request for her job back at Gotham General.

"Lilli."

Lilli jumped. "Oh hi." Jeff was standing behind her. "You have got to stop doing that."

"Sorry." he chuckled. "Quiet feet I guess."

"You'd think footsteps would echo in here." She playfully scolded.

"Well, you were deep in thought." He remarked. "I just came by to see how you're doing."

"Doing?"

"You sat in on Crane's interview."

"Is that the talk of the island?"

"No." He trailed off. "I just know that Crane is a nasty son of a bitch. Kellerman's almost an alcoholic thanks to him. And I saw what he did to Murphy firsthand."

Lilli nodded. "I worked the shift at Gotham General the night Joker tried the takeover here."

"You did?" Jeff sucked in a breath.

"Yeah, I've also seen what he can do. It's not pretty." Anxiety settled in her stomach.

"So, off topic but..." He turned to her his blue eyes locking with her hazel ones. "Are you free tomorrow night?"

"I might be." She replied, suddenly feeling coy.

"Would you like to join me for a drink? It's become a bit of a ritual here to go out drinking at the end of the week. Helps take the edge off."

She paused, did she want to go out? _Beep, beep._ The both of them jumped this time at the sound of her pager in the empty hall. Lilli checked it: _Meet for lunch? -Sarah_

_Saved by Sarah._ She thought. "Uh, can I get back to you?" She asked. "Dr. Cassidy wants my assistance.

His eyebrows knit together in slight confusion. "Sure. I'll see you later Lilli."

"Bye." The doctor hurried away. While Jeff seemed nice, she didn't know. She didn't know him that well. _I'll think about it._ She promised herself.

-x-

"My offer still stands for you to sit on Jervis Tetch's sessions." Sarah remarked. They had finished lunch and were heading back to their respective buildings. "He's a bit of a sweetheart, if you don't mind me saying that."

"He hypnotizes people, doesn't he?"

"Yeah, that part's scary but it's kind of sad that he actually he believes he's the Mad Hatter."

"I think that's the scary part." Lilli said. "But, if it fits in my schedule I'll sit in on it."

"Great!" Sarah chirped. "I'll inform Dr. Whistler."

Lilli snorted at Sarah's sudden cheeriness. "I'll see you later, Sarah."

"Bye!" Sarah waved. Lilli entered her office and shut the door.

"Okay. Just paper work now." She shuffled over to her desk and picked up a stack of files. Just as she was about to sit down, her eyes fell on a green piece of paper taped to the back of her door. _Not again._ It only took her two steps to get over to the door and she tore the paper down.

_I wear a red robe,_

_With staff in hand,_

_And a stone in my throat._

_What am I?_

_This has got to stop._ Lilli clenched the paper in her fingers and deftly left her office.

-x-

"Dr. Collins, may I ask what you're doing here?" Aaron Cash stood in front of the door that would lead her to Edward's cell.

"I'm sorry Aaron, but I need to see a patient." Lilli replied.

His eyes looked down at the paper still clenched in her fist. "Are you sure? I think you should go to Dr. Whistler or Sharp."

"I can handle this." Lilli said.

He paused for a moment. "Five minutes. And then I'm coming in to get you."

"Thank you." She bowed her head.

She was aware of Aaron's eyes at her back as she walked down the hallway, ignoring several cells as she walked past. She kept walking until she came to an isolated cell and then stopped. "Edward." She said clearly.

There was a shuffling and then she heard, "Well hello Doctor! I didn't think you would come visit me."

"What's the meaning of this?" She demanded and showed him the paper.

"Oh good, you got it. I was afraid you'd miss it. Did you get both?"

"How did you get out of your cell?"

"What are the answers?" He hummed merrily.

"Edward—"

"What are the answers, Lilith?"

Her mouth dropped open in shock and horror. How did he know her _name_? "How did you get my name?" She whispered.

"Tell me the answers, Lilith."

She relented. "The first one is pearl, the second is cherry."

"Very good Lilith!"

"Don't call me that." That came blasting out of her mouth and she inwardly cursed herself. It was an old habit that she had since middle school.

"Don't call you Lilith?" Edward came closer to the bars, so she could see him properly. His green eyes were dancing with glee. "Isn't that your name?"

Lilli contemplated for a moment but gave in. "Lilli. I go by Lilli."

"_Lilli_." She decided she didn't like the way it rolled off his tongue. It was predatory and possessive. "_I like it_."

"What did these riddles mean?" She tried to get back on track.

"Shouldn't it be easy to figure out?"

"If it's so easy, then I'm sure you can tell me." Lilli shot back.

He smiled, showing all of his teeth. "Gladly. First off, I think a string of pearls would look flattering on your neck. Especially the one resting on your throat, gently thrumming with your pulse." He hummed and Lilli shifted uncomfortably. "As for cherry... Well, I can only imagine what you'd look like with cherry-red lips. Don't get me wrong, my dear, I love your pink ones. But red... Now that would be a sight. I'll bet they taste like strawberries." Edward leaned through the bars as much as he could. "Might I get a taste?"

"Dr. Collins." She couldn't help but be pleased at the sound of Aaron Cash's voice. "Time's up."

Edward shot him a hateful glare; Lilli shot Aaron a grateful look. "If this happens again," Lilli gave Edward a hard stare. "I'm going directly to Sharp."

Aaron placed a hand behind her and guided her out of the hallway.

Edward chuckled darkly. "Oh don't worry my dear Lilli. Next time, I won't be behind bars."

-x-

"Lilli!" Sarah burst into her office. "Bane's back!"

She stood up suddenly. "Bane?"

The redhead nodded frantically. "Yes. Batman just brought him in. They're calling all medical personnel to the Medical Facility."

Lilli pulled her coat back on. "Thanks Sarah!"

Bane had originally been at Blackgate but the prison was still going under construction because of the fire so many of the prisoners had been moved to the asylum, Bane being one of them. But he had escaped the island six months and had been at large ever since.

She slipped into the facility, "Dr. Collins!" Another doctor came up to her, looking grim. "This way."

"What's wrong?"

"We're having trouble sedating him. He's injured and we don't have enough doctors right now..."

"What?" She said sharply. "What about. Dr. Stephens?"

"On the other side of the island. All we have are surgical doctors."

"Dammit." She cursed and quickened her pace.

As they neared the room where Bane was she could hear booms and people clattering about. "What's happening?" Lilli demanded when she entered the room.

Several guards were trying to hold the villain down. Thankfully, he wasn't in the state where the venom was making him a large super-villain. "Bane!" Lilli barked.

"Dr. Collins!" Someone warned but she strode up to the man.

"My name is Dr. Collins if you cooperate this won't get ugly." She said calmly.

"What makes you think you can control me?" He rasped.

"I just want to help. You're injured." She stared at what she hoped was his eyes, she couldn't tell through that mask he wore. "Trust me." She repeated. "I just want to treat your wounds."

"YOU THINK I WOULD TRUST A _BRUJA_ LIKE YOU?" Bane roared and the tubes connected to his head turned green.

"GET OUT!" Someone roared and she dropped to the floor just as something large and black flew over her.

"_That's enough!_" Someone new said firmly. Lilli lifted her head and her jaw dropped.

It was the Batman.

Batman had Bane by throat with one hand and with the other he tore the tube out. Bane sputtered and became still, his labored breaths were the only thing indicating he was still alive. He dropped Bane onto the examination table and turned to Lilli. "I'm sorry about that, I shouldn't have left the room."

"It was... it was nothing." Lilli got to her feet, slightly breathless. Standing and breathing in front of her was Batman, Gotham's Dark Knight!

"You are not hurt Doctor...?"

"Collins." She replied. "No, I just got here. Sorry to say, I was the closest medical doctor." She smiled wryly.

Batman nodded slightly. "The damage isn't bad, just a few lacerations. Patch him up and he can be moved to a cell."

Lilli nodded. "Of course." She moved past him, over to Bane. "Has Sharp been informed..." She trailed off when she turned to see the Dark Knight had disappeared.

-x-

Batman had been right, Bane wasn't badly injured except for bruises and cuts. She had sewn them up by the time Dr. Stephens arrived, Jeff right on his heels.

"You alright, Lilli?" Jeff demanded.

"Yeah, I'm okay. I sewed his cuts and called for more guards to escort him to a cell." Lilli told Dr. Stephens and handed him Bane's chart.

The older doctor looked it over before waving Lilli and Jeff out. "You took on Bane by yourself?" Jeff asked, amazement in his voice.

"No, Batman was there." She admitted.

He whistled in admiration. "The Batman. Wow."

"Hey, Jeff?"

"Yeah?"

"Is that offer for Friday still open?"

-x-

That night, Lilli kicked off her shoes and flopped down onto her couch. After her day, she was ready to crash but she rolled over and groaned when she heard a beep coming from her purse. _I don't wanna get up..._ She whined.

But eventually, she got up and picked up the phone and listened to her voice mail:

"_Hey, Lilli. It's your Mother. Please give me a call when you get the chance."_ Lilli stifled a groan and hit 'ignore'.

"Not now, Mom."

-x-

**So, it was extremely hard not to base Bane on Tom Hardy's Bane because well, let's face it. Tom Hardy's Bane was freaking sexy. Yes, I have problems, I know.**

**I wasn't extremely happy with this chapter but since you guys have been waiting a year I went ahead with it. Thank you for sticking with this story!**

**See you in chapter four!**


	4. The Joker

**What do ya know, an update! At least I didn't wait a year to post this. Thanks so much for the support guys, this story has over a hundred reviews! I can't believe it.**

**So sorry this took awhile. School is very busy for me right now.**

**Unfortunately, Riddler won't be in this chapter or the next one. But he'll return.**

**Enjoy!**

**-x-**

The next day was surprisingly mundane.

Not that Lilli wanted anything to happen. But each time she entered her office, she scoured every nook and cranny, scared she'd find another riddle. But there was nothing. Had he finally quit? She didn't think so, he wasn't the type to quit. Lilli sat down and sighed.

And then the riddles went to the back of her mind as a new problem made its way to her desk.

The Joker needed a medical exam. And the paperwork listing his injuries and what needed to be examined were sitting on her desk. Lilli leaned back in her chair and rubbed her temples. She didn't even want to know why they chose her to lead it but she knew something like this had to happen. Maybe she impressed Dr. Stephens yesterday with how she handled Bane. Or maybe none of the other doctors wanted to deal with Gotham's worst criminal.

Whatever the reason, it still needed to be done. And it had to be done next week.

-x-

Perhaps it was the fear of having to deal with the Joker next week but by the Friday, Lilli was exhausted. She almost reneged on her date with Jeff but decided at last minute that she could use the drink. So, she went home for a quick shower after work and changed before meeting Jeff at the bar.

The bar was small and slightly dingy but it was clean. Neon signs winked at her and random memorabilia adorned the walls. Sitting at the bar was Jeff.

"Hey." She greeted as she sat next to him.

"Hello," Jeff smiled at her. He was already nursing a beer. "Long week, huh?"

"Oh yeah," Lilli groaned and ordered a sea breeze. "They want me to perform the medical exam on the Joker."

"_Really_?" Jeff choked on his beer.

"Uh-huh, it's unnerving to think about. I mean, no one wants to deal with him at all." She shook her head. The bartender came back and handed her her drink. Lilli took it and took a large sip. "Sarah likes to tell me horror stories about his takeover from time to time."

"Yeah, I was there." Jeff said reminiscently. He took another swig of his beer. "Just don't let him get to you. Ignore him. And if it gets bad, don't be afraid to turn your head. The guards will be more than happy to shut him up."

"Thanks." Lilli replied uneasily. Despite the horrors many of the patients at Arkham committed, she was still unsure about them receiving physical punishment.

They drank in silence for a moment before Jeff broke it. "So what led you down the medical path?"

"Honestly? I really wanted to help people. When I was little, I thought doctors were so _noble_." Lilli giggled at the thought. "Little did I know that being a doctor would take a lot out of you: long hours, little sleep, hurting feet, and some gratitude if you save a life. And that was only at Gotham General. How 'bout you?"

"I really didn't know what I wanted to do with my life but I saw an episode of E.R. once and I was hooked. Then I decided that I wanted to be a surgeon." He held up a hand to show her its steadiness. "Steady hands." He said proudly.

"I'm sure they won't be after a night of drinking." She teased and poked his hand with a pinky.

"I'd have to pretty smashed." He retorted.

"I might see to that."

"Uh-uh, I have a recital to attend tomorrow. I can't afford to be hungover." He finished his beer and called for another.

"Recital?" Lilli tilted her head in confusion.

"Ah yeah. My daughter, Annabelle." He stood up halfway and reached into his back pocket and pulled out a black wallet. He flipped it open and took out a small photo. Lilli took it from him when he offered it and she saw a little girl roughly around the age of nine giving her a gap-toothed smile. She had blonde hair like her father but hers was brighter and her blue eyes twinkled with innocence.

"She's pretty." Lilli commented and handed it back to him. "How old?"

"Ten." Jeff said and put his wallet back. "And really crazy about ballet. So I get to go watch a children's rendition of Hansel and Gretel tomorrow."

"I didn't know you can do ballet to Hansel and Gretel."

"I didn't either." He sipped his beer. "But I'll suffer it to watch my daughter."

"What a great dad. I don't remember my dad making it to many of my soccer games when I was younger. It was always my mom and grandma." Her dad had been so busy with work and didn't participate in many family events. It had hurt a lot but she made her peace with it.

"Well, her mother can't make it." Jeff muttered darkly and took an extra big drink.

"I'm sorry?" Lilli looked at him. "I didn't catch that."

Jeff was silent as if contemplating something. "Can I tell you something personal?"

This time, Lilli was silent. Sure she and Jeff had worked together a couple times since she came to Arkham but she didn't know him _that_ well. Did she really want to know secrets of coworkers? "Sure?" She drew out uncertainly. "I mean, if you want to."

"Annabelle's mother and I separated when she was about two. Before we got married she struggled with a heroin addiction. She managed to get clean for awhile and during her pregnancy with Annabelle. But, uh, she got relapsed somehow. I don't know when and then one day," Jeff paused to clear his throat, "I came home from work and found Annabelle naked and screaming on the floor while her mother was passed out on the couch. She O.D'd."

"That's horrible!" Lilli clapped a hand over her mouth in shock.

"I know." Jeff said bitterly. "We separated and unsurprisingly, I got custody."

"What happened to her mom?"

Jeff shrugged his shoulders. "I don't really know. She was ordered to go into rehab but I haven't tried finding her since the split."

"Has Annabelle ever asked about her mom?" Lilli hesitantly asked.

"All she knows is that her mom did some bad things and can't come to visit anymore." He said flatly. "Thankfully, she's never pushed it. I get the feeling she might as she gets older but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it."

Jeff stretched and let out a loud, aggravated sigh. "Argh, what am I doing talking about something depressing? I invited you out to get to know you!"

Lilli laughed. "I don't mind."

He set his beer down. "D'you wanna do this again next week?" Now he sounded nervous. "I mean, we could go to the bar where everyone else goes if you want."

Jeff was sweet. Lilli decided. She knew she shouldn't have been too quick to judge him when they first met. Granted it was under strange circumstances. "I'd like that." She admitted.

"Great!" Jeff beamed and they clinked glasses. "It's a date."

-x-

Lilli tiredly walked into her apartment later that night. "I'm back Ludwig." She announced to her apartment and wherever her cat was. Once they were off the topic of depressing and infuriating family members (where Lilli ended up confessing to Jeff that her full name was Lilith because of her grandmother's insistence) they had fun conversations. Like what they'd do if they received one million dollars and didn't have to work for the rest of their lives.

Instantly, Jeff said he'd take Annabelle to New York and enroll her in a better dance school. Lilli told him that she'd adopt a lot of cats and become a cat lady with fine taste (meaning that she'd buy a ton of red wine). He roared with laughter on that one.

"Mreow." Ludwig jumped up onto the back of the couch. Lilli petted him and he purred happily.

"I'm tired." Lilli yawned and ambled over to her bedroom. She kicked off her shoes and changed into her pjs. After quickly brushing her teeth, she collapsed on her bed. Only after she managed to get under her covers, Ludwig jumped up to make his nest next to her waist. "You're very lucky I don't roll around in my sleep." She sleepily told her cat. "Or else I'd squish you."

He merely purred in response. And Lilli knew no more.

-x-

Unfortunately, Wednesday came too soon and Lilli found herself nervously pacing in a medical examination room. _Okay, just remember what Jeff said._ She reminded herself. _He said there'll be guards and you won't be in trouble._ Despite that there _would_ be armed guards, she didn't feel safe when it came to Gotham's number one criminal.

"Are you ready, Dr. Collins?" Someone behind her asked and she turned to see Dr. Stephens with a clipboard in his hand.

"Are you helping?" She was surprised. For the past week, she was under the impression that she would be doing this alone.

"No. I'm here to observe." He commented and took a seat in the corner of the room.

And then she understood it. They were testing her. On what she didn't know. Probably to see how she'd perform under pressure. Not for the first time, she felt irritation towards the psychiatrists at Arkham.

The doors opened once more and an armed guard came in. "Bring him in!" He barked.

Lilli tensed as they wheeled a standing table into the room. Cuffed onto it was him. The Joker. She had seen pictures of him in the paper and on TV but up close, _he was terrifying_. His skin was a ghastly white, his hair was unnaturally green, but the large, painted red smile was eerily creepy.

"Hey, what up doc?" The Joker said cheerfully when he caught sight of her.

_Deep breath._ "Bring him over there." She directed the guards. They complied.

"What, no hello?" Joker complained. He leered at her when he was rolled past her. "Hey lookie, you're a cutie!"

She pulled her latex gloves on. "I'm going to need a forearm exposed." She told a guard. Obediently, one drew back the sleeve on his left arm. Carefully, she picked up a tourniquet.

Lilli collected herself and turned to him. _Don't look at him, don't look at him._ She chanted in her head as she approached. Gently, she wrapped the tourniquet around his arm and tightened it. Next, she picked up a cotton ball and doused it in rubbing alcohol.

"Don't be shy!" The Joker suddenly cackled when she turned back to him. He peered at her and his eyes fell on her I.D. hanging off her coat and grinned at her. "I don't bite, Dr. Collins. _Hard_." He laughed again but almost immediately he stopped and started to cough.

The Titan formula was still affecting him, Lilli realized. She didn't say anything and rubbed the spot below the tourniquet with the cotton ball. She threw it away and picked up the syringe. Ever so cautiously, she inserted it into his vein.

Joker laughed. "That tickles, doc!"

"Please be quiet." Lilli said calmly. Thankfully, she hadn't jerked the needle when he laughed. Once the blood was drawn, she pulled the needle out and wiped the spot. She set it down on a tray. One task down and only a few more to go. Essentially, they only needed the blood to analyze it but it never hurt to cover all bases.

"You're a quiet thing, aren't ya?" He spoke again. "The way Riddles talks about you, one wants to believe that you'd be _more_." How the hell did Edward speak to the Joker? They were in separate cell blocks!

"How—" Lilli started but he merely grinned.

"I never tell my secrets."He singsonged.

"Shut up." One the guards hit him in the face with the butt of his gun.

"Oh Jerry, I thought we were getting along so well!" Joker protested as if that hadn't hurt him.

Lilli shook her head and came closer again. They were almost face to face so she could examine his body for any abnormalities. Well, any abnormalities left from the Titan formula, his body was already an abnormality. "Whoa! Watch the hands, doc! I know I'm a dashing and handsome man but I'm spoken for!" Joker exclaimed when she pressed her hands against his stomach.

She looked up at him. "The sooner I finish this then the sooner you can—"

_WHAM._ The Joker brought his head down and smashed it into Lilli's face. She screamed and backed away, clutching at her face. The guards pounced on him and she heard Dr. Stephens say something. The Joker cackled madly as they wheeled him out of the room.

"Dr. Collins, are you alright?" Dr. Stephens clutched her shoulders.

"I think so." She looked up. Her nose hurt and she felt something wet pool in it.

"You're going to have a black eye." Dr. Stephens noted and handed her a tissue.

She brought the tissue up to her nose where the blood was starting to leak out and tipped her head back. "I wasn't expecting that." Her voice was slightly nasally.

"Neither was I. I'll finish the exam." Dr. Stephens said. "I'll also make a report to send to Mr. Sharp about this incident."

"Thanks." He dismissed her and she made her way back to her office, trying to stem the blood flowing from her nose.

-x-

"Lilli!" Sarah caught sight of Lilli and ran up to her when she entered her office building, eyes wide. "What happened?"

"The Joker headbutted me in the face." Lilli pulled threw the bloody tissue away and entered her office. She rummaged around in her desk drawer and pulled out another tissue.

"Are you serious?" Sarah exclaimed.

"Unfortunately." Lilli grimaced. Her head was _pounding_. "My head hurts."

"I'm sorry, Lilli." The other doctor said softly this time. "Lemme go find you some aspirin and I'll see if I can get you some ice from the cafeteria." She swiftly left Lilli's office and when the door slammed shut, she winced. _Ow._

-x-

Once Mr. Sharp heard of the Joker mishap, Lilli was sent home (after they made sure she'd be able to drive.) And she was actually happy to go home. The incident shook her up and it wasn't just getting hit in the face. The Joker unnerved her with his cheery demeanor and how he knew about her from talking to Edward. How was he getting out of his cell?

The questions did nothing to help her headache and by the time she reached home, her head felt like it had been run over by a truck. She didn't even stop to pet Ludwig; she only locked the door before she collapsed on the couch. "I'm hurt." She complained.

Ludwig rubbed her fingers with his cheek in response. Lilli smiled. The aspirin Sarah found for her was starting to kick in and she dropped the bag of ice her friend pressed into her hand before leaving on the tender flesh around her left eye. Just as she was about to drift off to sleep, her phone came to life with the beginning of Beethoven's _Symphony No. 5_.

She picked it up and groaned when she saw the caller I.D. _Mom._ "Hello?" She answered it, bracing for the worst.

"_Lilith Antoinette Collins, why haven't you been answering your phone?"_ Her mother on the other end scolded.

"I've been busy with work, Mom." Lilli replied.

"_And that's reason enough not to answer my calls? Every time you don't answer me, I fear the worst for you."_

"I know Mom." Her mom had been vehemently against Lilli working at Arkham. Towards the beginning of the start of her job, her mother would call her daily to make sure she was okay and alive. "What's up?"

"_We want you to come over for dinner on Saturday."_ We meant her and Grandma. And the tone in her mother's voice left no room for arguments.

"What time?" Lilli gave in.

"_Five o'clock. Don't be late."_ Her mom said merrily, now happy that Lilli would be coming over after several months of avoidance.

"See you then." Lilli ground out. "Now if you excuse me, Mom, I have a raging headache that I'd like to get rid of."

"_Alright then. See you on Saturday!"_

"See ya."

"_I love you."_ _Click._

"Love you too." Lilli grumbled and pulled the bag of ice, now beginning to perspire, off of her and dropped it on her table. Hopefully, it wouldn't leak. Her eyes slowly fluttered shut and she fell into a light sleep.

-x-

**I don't really have any medical expertise and I don't know a thing about drawing blood (since blood makes me queezy and I hate needles). So if anything was wrong in that scene and you people with medical expertise know, sorry!**

**I think Jeff's shaping up to be a nice guy, isn't he? And the Joker was interesting to write. I hope I got Mark Hamill's version down. It was kinda hard to write it with Heath Ledger's Joker playing in the background. Hehe.**

**Thanks for supporting this guys! And I'll see you in chapter five!**


	5. Family Dinner

**What's this? What's this? An update? I haven't forgotten this story? Yeah. I'm terrible, aren't I?**

**Thanks so much for the reviews, favorites, and follows and for sticking with me even though I am absolutely horrible when it comes to updating this story.**

**This is a short one but enjoy!**

**-x-**

Lilli let out a deep breath in irritation as she examined herself in the mirror. The area around her left eye was now a deep purple. Gingerly, she poked it and hissed through her teeth. It was tender too. If she didn't like the Joker before she met him, she really didn't like him now.

"This sucks!" She groaned.

Her eye was puffy and bruised, she had work today, and there was no way the bruise would disappear in time for her family dinner on Saturday. Her mother was going throw a fit when she saw it. Though she was already expecting it, her mother would launch into another speech about how dangerous Arkham was and how she should contact her former boss at Gotham General and get her old job back.

She was starting to get tired of the speeches.

But now as she looked at her bruised eye and thought back to the death threats from the inmates, the unsettling session with Crane, and the riddles from Edward, she could see the appeal of leaving.

"I'm going in circles, Ludwig!" Lilli complained and turned away from her mirror. She entered her bedroom and landed on her bed with a soft '_fwump_.' "I keep going between staying at Arkham or going back to Gotham General."

She looked over at her cat and he looked back at her grumpily for bouncing the bed and interrupting his nap.

-x-

Saturday came too quickly for Lilli and soon she was slowly parking in her parent's drive way. She took a deep breath, readying herself for the smothering and lectures.

She exited her car and walked up to the door; she opened it cautiously and entered. "Hello?" She called.

"Lilli!" Her dad was the first to greet her and pulled her into a tight hug. He kissed her cheek. "How are you, Beanie?"

Lilli let a grin through at the sound of her dad's nickname for her. He told her that when he first held her when she was a baby, she was a tiny little thing in his hands like a bean.

She and her dad were almost spitting images of each other with thick, black hair and hazel eyes (but his were more green while hers were closer to brown.) But she had gotten her build from her mother, her father was shorter and stocky while Lilli and her mother were tall and leggy.

"I'm well, Dad." She responded and shrugged off her coat and kicked off her shoes. "Where's Mom and Grandma?"

"In the kitchen. We're having lasagna. Your mother wanted to do roast beef but your grandma talked her out of it."

"Is that my granddaughter out there?" Margaret Collins entered the living room, wiping her wet hands on her apron. At seventy-five, Margaret was still going strong with exception of her eyesight which was going. And four years ago, her driver's license was revoked and her parents moved Margaret into the spare bedroom (since she point-blank refused to enter the nursing home.)

"Hi Grandma." Lilli smiled and accepted a hug. Her grandmother had gotten shorter since the last time she saw her. When she knelt to hug her, her wispy, curly, white hair tickled the base of Lilli's neck.

"Lilith, I'm so pleased to see you." She held Lilli arms length and looked her up and down. "I've been hearing things on the news about criminals coming and going in Arkham."

"I've been okay." Lilli reassured her.

"You're strong. You always have been." Margaret mused out loud. "Doctors always have strength that some people don't seem to have."

"Mom, now is not the time for speeches." Mr. Collins nudged Margaret and guided her to her chair.

"I'm perfectly capable of sitting down by myself, Isaac." Margaret reminded. "Now, go help Sarah with the rest of dinner." She patted the couch next to her chair. "Lilith, sit next to me. I want to hear about anything new happening in your life."

"There's not much to tell." Lilli admitted and sat while Mr. Collins disappeared into the kitchen. She didn't want to tell her grandma too much about the horrors of Arkham.

"You're lying." One of Margaret's hands found Lilli's and she clutched it. "I may be hard of sight but I can tell there's something new in your life. Is it a guy?"

Lilli thought of Jeff and flushed.

"Aha! So there is someone!" Margaret smiled triumphantly.

"He's a coworker at Arkham. We went out for drinks once."

"And will you be seeing him again?"

"Maybe." Since her mom insisted on family dinner tonight, she had to cancel her plans with Jeff. But she promised him a rain check.

"You should bring him 'round sometime. I'd like to see a great-grandchild sometime before I go."

"I feel like all grandparents are obligated to say that at some point." Lilli said thoughtfully.

"Of course we are. We want to see the family line continue." And then she playfully smiled. "And bother our children incessantly. It's a duty."

"I know." Lilli rested her hand on her grandmother's shoulder and breathed in the scent of peonies.

"Lasagna's on the table." Mr. Collins made a reappearance. "And hurry up. Your mother's anxious to see you alive and well."

"Of course she is." Lilli muttered and stood up.

"Oh Lilith. Help me up, would you?" Margaret held out her hands and Lilli grasped them and pulled her up. "I'm getting old. I might have to get a hip replacement, you know?"

"Really? But you haven't had any bad falls." And Lilli would know if her grandma had an accident. Her mother would be calling her frantically.

"Arthritis, Lilith. You need to come around more."

Last Lilli knew, her grandma had mild arthritis in her wrists. It goes to show how often she kept in contact with her family but it was mainly because of the crazy hours doctors work while in hospitals.

They entered through the hallway and into the dining room and the smell of lasagna and garlic bread hit Lilli. _Smells like home._ Living by herself didn't allow her to make fancy dinners so the sight before her was a feast.

"Lilli!" Mrs. Collins appeared, untying her apron and hanging it on a hook by the second kitchen door. She hadn't changed much either. Her light hair was done up in a bun and her face was flushed from working so hard. "It's so good to see you—" She stopped at stared at Lilli's face.

Lilli shifted uncomfortably and then Mrs. Collins marched across the room and held Lilli's face between her hands. "What happened to your face?" She cried.

She knew it. Foundation and concealer couldn't hide the black eye from her mother's sharp eyes. Rather than lying and upsetting her mother further, she went with a partial truth. "A patient headbutted me in the face at work."

There was no need to tell them it was the Joker. Her mother would have a coronary.

"I told you. I told you a thousand times, Lilli. Arkham is _dangerous._ You need to call Dr. Brewer at Gotham General and ask for your old job back. I'm sure he would take you back—I was talking with Laurel the other day and she said they're understaffed. Or you could go into private practice. _Anything_ but Arkham!"

"Let me see." Mr. Collins gently pushed his wife away and took a closer look at Lilli. "Now that I look at it, your eye does look a little dark."

"See?" Mrs. Collins sat down and looked between Margaret and Mr. Collins. "Don't you think it's time for her to go somewhere else?"

"Sarah, you worry too much." Margaret sighed and also took her place.

"You don't think getting _attacked_ by a criminally insane prisoner is something to worry about?" Mrs. Collins cried.

"Of course it raises alarm." Mr. Collins let go of Lilli and they both took their seats. "But every job comes with its dangers. Arkham is no different."

"With exception that it houses the city's worst criminals." Mrs. Collins began to cut into the lasagna with more force than needed.

"Sarah, you're mutilating the lasagna." Mr. Collins said sharply and relieved the knife of his wife's hands.

"Mom, it was just this one incident." Lilli said as she accepted a large piece from her father. She plucked up a piece of bread and passed the basket to her grandmother. "I'm surrounded by guards as I work and they have guns. They're armed and the patients are restrained. Besides, with the pay from Arkham I'll pay off my loans two years earlier than I planned. After that, I'll look into other places for work."

"I still say it's dangerous." Mrs. Collins muttered sourly. And like that, the conversation was over.

"Lilli has a guy in her life now." Margaret said after a few minutes of silence with exception of chewing.

"Really?" Mrs. Collins said excitedly while Mr. Collins raised an eyebrow.

"_Grandma_." Lilli hissed.

"A guy? Tell me everything." Mrs. Collins leaned forward in anticipation. Her eyes sparkled whenever she heard about something safe and normal in Lilli's life.

"His name's Jeff. He works with me at Arkham."

"At Arkham?" Mrs. Collins mouth fell open, the sparkle was gone. "What does he do?"

"He's a surgeon." Lilli tried to keep the annoyance of out her voice. It wasn't like he was a patient and she went down the Harley Quinn path. But Edward Nygma's face floated in her mind and she suppressed a shudder. She wouldn't think about him. Not tonight.

"He's very nice and likeable." She continued.

"When will we meet him?" And like that, Arkham was out of her mother's mind as she focused on Jeff.

After they finished eating and Mrs. Collins cleared the table, Margaret brought out her famous homemade-from-scratch-even-the-frosting red-velvet cake.

"Oh my god, I've missed this." Lilli moaned around a mouthful of cake.

"I know how much you love red-velvet." Margaret said fondly.

"It trumps all kinds of cake—especially when you make it." Lilli devoured her piece and took a second slice.

"Takes me back to my childhood. You did great, Mom." Mr. Collins said.

"Thank you Isaac."

-x-

When it was nearing ten o'clock, Lilli began to get her things around. After she was laden with a tupperware full of extra lasagna and a small plate of cake, she put her shoes and coat back on.

"Now, I want calls and emails saying you're okay." Mrs. Collins said sternly as she handed Lilli her leftovers.

"I'll try." Lilli halfheartedly promised and accepted her containers.

"I just want to know that you're okay." Mrs. Collins murmured as she hugged Lilli. "I want to know my baby's safe."

"I know, Mom." Lilli replied.

Mrs. Collins stepped back and Margaret stepped up to give Lilli her own hug. "Don't be a stranger. Come and visit your grandmother, would you?"

"I'll try. Lilli promised again.

Mr. Collins gave her the last hug. "Drive safe, Beanie."

"I will."

Her coat was buttoned up and she was out the front door and into her car. She settled her food into her front seat and started the car. Soon enough she was driving down the road, her taillights fading into the night.

-x-

_Tap, tap, tap, tap._

The footsteps of the night guard faded into the distance after they passed Edward's cell. It would be half an hour until the next patrol. But by then it would be too late.

He stood up from his bed and approached his cell door and began to work.

It was beginning to get boring being locked in here day after day, only being let out for sessions with boring Dr. Whistler. And he had more reasons to get out.

"Just you wait my lovely Lilli." He hummed as he worked on the lock. "Soon you and I will _play_ for real."

-x-

Half an hour later, the night guard made his round down the cell block. He peered into every cell, taking count of the inmates locked within. Until he reached a cell decorated with green question marks.

Nygma's lumpy figure could be seen underneath the blanket but that wasn't enough for the guards. "Nygma." He banged on the bars with his nightstick. "Let me see some skin."

No answer.

"Nygma!" He barked and banged the bars again.

When he didn't get another answer, he took out his keys and carefully unlocked the cell. He held his nightstick in one hand and his gun in the front. After several years of working here, he knew that one could never be too cautious when it came to the inmates.

"Nygma." He prodded the lumpy figure with the stick and it sunk into the blankets. _What?_ The guard threw the blanket off the coat and all that lay underneath were a pillow and the Arkham patient uniform stuffed with sheets.

Immediately, the guard fumbled for his radio. "This is Peters, we have a code red. I repeat, we have a _code red_ in the Holding Cells. Edward Nygma, known as the Riddler, has broken out of his cell. I repeat..."

-x-

Across the Asylum grounds, guards began to snap into action and lights flickered on in various buildings. News of his escape had reached them.

Edward Nygma giggled maniacally as he watched the primitive guards begin their search. Even though he should be far away, he couldn't resist watching their stupid fumbling when they would try and find me.

Edward landed on the ground and adjusted his shirt sleeves (he had taken the liberty to grab his Riddler clothes and staff as he was escaping) when he regained his footing. He hurried off into the darkness, still chuckling.

_Soon, my Lilli._ He thought. _Soon._

-x-

**And that concludes chapter five! I've started in on chapter six but things won't get serious until about chapter seven. And then I'll be working on getting into the Arkham City plot. And boy, do I have things **_**planned**_** for that.**

**Reviews, favorites, and follows are love! See ya in chapter six!**


	6. Escape

**An update within a week? It's like Christmas all over again! And I have more good news! Chapter seven is almost, nearly done.**

**I'm spoiling you, aren't I? Enjoy!**

**-x-**

On Monday morning Lilli woke up well-rested. She rolled over and petted a sleeping Ludwig, rousing him from his sleep. "Morning Ludwig." She yawned. Ludwig merely rested his head back on the bed and continued sleeping.

"No need to wait for me, I'm getting up." She got up but not before poking her cat. "Lazy cat."

It must be nice, being a cat. Lilli thought as she showered and dressed. All they did was eat and sleep and poop. She finished putting the last of her concealer around her eye and walked back into her bedroom. Ludwig was still sleeping but now he was in the dead center of her bed.

"Little stinker." Lilli grumbled and gave him another poke. His ear twitched but he didn't move.

Yep, it was probably great to be a cat.

Lilli locked her apartment door behind her and headed down the stairs to where her car waited.

The days were getting colder; Lilli noted and wrapped her coat tighter around her. Gotham had never been a truly warm city but when it got cold, _it got cold_.

She started up the car and without waiting for it to warm up; she drove out onto the street.

"_That time has come, Gotham." _A morning reporter's voice floated out from Lilli's radio. _"Mayor Elections are happening tomorrow. The poles will be open from six A.M. to nine P.M. So be sure to vote tomorrow."_

How could she have forgotten? She worked for the man running for the position.

Quincy Sharp's chances had almost diminished when Joker forcibly took over his asylum but afterward he rose up triumphantly, claiming that he had been pivotal in bringing Joker down. He had quickly become the favorite and he nearly had the position in the bag.

But Lilli wasn't so sure about him. She had only met him the one time when she hired into Arkham. He had been polite but a bit persnickety. But she could sense there was something _off_ about him. There was something beneath his carefully constructed image.

"_So far, people are saying that Quincy Sharp, the warden of Arkham Asylum, is the favorite to become Mayor. Not only did his generous donations and charity help rebuild City Hall but he also stopped the criminal known as the Joker from wreaking havoc on the Asylum and all of Gotham."_

Lilli couldn't hold back her snort of derision. There was no way Sharp would have been able to stop the Joker. The credit will always go to the Batman.

"_But remember to vote tomorrow! The fate of Gotham rests in your hands!"_

Lilli turned the channel to a pop station. She didn't want to hear anymore but a worrying feeling settled in her stomach.

-x-

"Lilli!" Sarah cried out as Lilli walked in the doors of Arkham. Her face was pale.

"What's wrong?" Sarah gently grabbed Lilli's arm and led her over to a corner.

"There was a breakout last night." Sarah said lowly. Her eyes darted back and forth over the hallway. "They're only telling some personnel so it doesn't affect Sharp's chances for Mayor."

"Who was it?" Lilli's voice dropped to a whisper. Joker? Scarecrow? Zsasz? Anyone but—

"Edward Nygma."

_Oh no._ Lilli felt her legs tremble and she put a hand on the wall to steady herself. "How? When?"

"Sometime in the night. Apparently he picked the lock on his cell. Someone took a closer at it and he's been getting out of his cell for _ages_. Lilli, are you okay?"

Lilli felt lightheaded. "I need to see Dr. Whistler."

-x-

Lilli managed to shake Sarah off, promising her that she would see her at lunch before she hurried down to Dr. Whistler's office. She took several deep breaths and counted to ten before knocking sharply.

"Come in."

She entered the office and closed the door behind her swiftly as if someone was going to come up behind her.

"Dr. Collins." Dr. Whistler didn't look surprised to see Lilli standing in her office. "I suppose you heard the news?" 

She nodded once. "I did. And I need to ask you, Dr. Whistler." Another breath. "Am I in danger?"

"Why would you think that?" Dr. Whistler replied calmly. "It was just the one incident."

"And Dr. Cassidy had only one incident with Victor Zsasz." Lilli retorted. "And look at what almost happened to her. And Dr. Young with the Joker—she's dead because of it."

Dr. Whistler looked as if she had been slapped when Lilli mentioned the former doctor of Arkham Asylum. "Those are all separate from each other. Each perpetrator had a different psyche. If you didn't give Nygma cause to follow you—" She stopped abruptly and peered at Lilli. "There hasn't been anything since that riddle you showed me, has there?"

And here it was. Hiding the other riddles from Dr. Whistler had come back to bite her in the ass. "There was—another incident." Lilli admitted. "I got two more riddles last week."

Dr. Whistler narrowed her eyes. "And why didn't you tell me about this?"

"I thought..." Lilli's throat stuck and she cleared it. "I thought I had it under control. I made clear to him that I would go to Sharp if it happened again."

"You _confronted_ Nygma?" Dr. Whistler cried.

"I wanted to keep it under control."

"Dr. Collins—Lilli, you don't confront them. That only encourages them. You report it to your superiors and let them handle it."

"And was there a follow-up on how he got that riddle into my office the first time?" Lilli challenged.

The older woman didn't answer but Lilli could guess the answer. Maybe the doctor reported it to Sharp who did nothing as he continued with his mayor campaign. Or maybe she did nothing.

"Dr. Collins." Dr. Whistler's voice took on a gentle tone. "I would suggest that you obtain another lock for your door. Keep your windows locked at all times. And if you still feel uneasy, find someone to stay with or go to the Gotham Police. Now that Nygma's escaped, we can't do anything anymore."

She could do that. But nothing would make her feel safe again until he was behind bars once more.

"And I've decided to pull you from the psychiatric program and keep you on as medical full time. The papers are already in the works."

That was some good news. She didn't have a knack for psychiatry anyway. "Thanks." Lilli managed and slipped out of the office and down to her own.

-x-

Dr. Whistler collapsed in her chair when Dr. Collins left. Another one of her charges was being threatened. First it was Harleen Quinzel who was entranced by the Joker into a life of crime. Then she nearly lost Sarah Cassidy to Zsasz (and as a result, Dr. Whistler was the only one allowed to treat him since Dr. Cassidy refused to go near him.) And then Penelope Young lost her life in her mad quest for a groundbreaking formula and fame.

And now Dr. Collins was in a danger of being targeted by the Riddler. What would he do to her? Would he kidnap her and make her solve puzzles to earn her life and freedom like he had done in the past? Or were his intentions more sinister than that?

Gretchen closed her eyes and prayed to a god she had long forsaken for Lilli's safety.

She didn't want to lose another doctor to the madness of the Asylum.

-x-

The Riddler's escape was not lost on the island. _Everyone_ knew but they were all required to keep it quiet until after the election. Sharp would not let anything get in his way.

And Lilli spent most of the day in a fog as she did paper work and finished up various tests and blood work.

"Lilli?"

Lilli gasped loudly and turned around. But it was only Jeff holding his hands up in a defenseless pose. "Oh, Jeff. I'm sorry." The she started chuckling. "This happens a lot, doesn't it?"

"You've been acting weirdly all day." Jeff came a bit closer and when Lilli relaxed, he put his hand on her shoulder. "Is it because Nygma escaped?"

She nodded slowly. "Yeah. It's just a bit upsetting when someone gets out because not only are they out there but someone else could get out too." She lied.

Why did she just lie to Jeff?

"I know that feeling." Jeff took his hand off her shoulder and ran it through his hair. "Joker's escaped more times than I can count while I've been here."

There was silence between them. Lilli chewed her lip. Why had she just lied to Jeff?

"Is this your first breakout since you've been here?"

"Uh-huh."

"Well, the good news is that Batman's out there. And Riddler'll be back in here before you know it." He was standing in front of her and gently cupped her chin. She looked up at him and he smiled. "So don't worry."

"Do you want to go out to dinner with me this weekend?" The question came blasting out of her mouth before she could stop herself. Here she was with a potential stalker on the loose and she was asking out a fellow coworker who was clearly interested in her.

Jeff smiled again. "Sure. Pick you up at eight?"

-x-

That night, Lilli crossed the threshold of her apartment carefully and searched but found nothing. She did as Dr. Whistler advised and locked her door and windows and closed her curtains as if it would cut her apartment off from the world.

_He found out my name, what's to say he doesn't know where I live?_ Lilli thought grimly.

-x-

Unbeknownst to Lilli, Edward did know more than just her name and birth date. He managed to find her full employee record including social security number, insurance agencies _and_ policies, license plate number, phone number, and her home address, of course.

He sat below her apartment building in his car and he could easily tell which one was hers: the only one with the curtains drawn. As if that would protect her from him! But he wouldn't approach her yet. It wasn't time.

Instead, he opened his laptop and began to run searches on Dr. Lilith Collins.

Her parents were Isaac Adam Collins and Sarah Marie Collins (née Winters.) She graduated fourth in her class (high school) and went on to university and medical school and did her residency at Gotham General. Afterwards, she was hired on as a doctor and worked there until Arkham contacted her with an offer for work.

He went through various papers she wrote while in school (many of them on different medical theses) but put them aside. He was much too smart to waste his time on that.

Much to his chagrin, she didn't have a social media site but after running an image scan, he found pictures of her on her relatives' sites. There was one of her at her medical school graduation, one of her hugging an elderly woman, and even one of her curled up on a sofa, sleeping.

But his absolute favorite one was her in the wedding pictures. Lilli had obviously been in the bridal party because her dress was the same as three other women: a one-shoulder, short, emerald green dress. He delighted in seeing her dress in his color and it suited her perfectly too. Her hair had been done up into some sort of fancy up-do, exposing her neck.

She really was a beautiful woman. Edward marveled as he stared at the picture of her. And it really was a beautiful dress.

Yes, green was the color for her.

He glanced up at her apartment again just as the living room lights went off. She must be going to bed. And sure enough, a few minutes later the bedroom lights turned off.

Edward had almost decided to meet her tonight and celebrate him leaving Arkham again but he decided against it. Tomorrow was the election and he had no doubt that his Lilli would be voting.

It was a much better plan to let her believe she had her fate in her own hands as she voted for the future of Gotham before he brought her crashing down to reality. To let her know that her life would be in his hands from now on and that she belonged to him. Yes, tomorrow would be an _excellent_ day.

-x-

**I kinda just wanted to get this one out of the way because it's the stepping stone to main plot events and such. I'm not sure how much time passed between Arkham Asylum and City (I don't think the game specified.) But it can't have been too long since the Joker is still weak from the Titan incident.**

**Reviews, favorites, and follows are love! See ya in chapter seven!**


	7. Election Night

**So someone pointed out to me that the events of Arkham City happen a year after Asylum... and that there was a comic book that describes some stuff happening in between. A comic book that I completely forgot about. Oops.**

**I changed some things around in chapters 1-3 (which you can go read again.) This story is set ten months after the events of Asylum in late September/early October. As I think City takes place somewhere between November and January.**

**Riddler did not escape with the help of Poison Ivy and later than anticipated. Strange has still been conducting experiments and twisting Sharp into his puppet.**

**So keep that in mind. I'm going to try and bend the story back in the comic book direction in preparation for Arkham City.**

**Enjoy!**

**-x-**

"Mrow!" Ludwig wound himself around Lilli's ankles, meowing incessantly.

"Ludwig, I just put your food out!" Lilli pointed at the dark blue ceramic bowl sitting innocently by the entrance to the kitchen.

But he continued to weave between her legs, rubbing her with his cheek. "Mrow."

She abandoned her dinner for a few seconds and picked the cat up. "See, Ludwig? Food." She set him down in front of his food bowl. He sniffed it but eventually began to eat.

"Stubborn, picky cat." She muttered and returned to her own dinner cooking on the stove. She flipped the piece of chicken over to reveal it had darkened to brown. Her cat almost made her burn her food. "Little turd." But she still loved her cat anyway.

Another minute passed and the other side of her chicken was cooked. Carefully, she took it out of the skillet and onto her plate. Since she had finished the leftovers from Saturday, today's dinner was chicken, steamed broccoli, a baked potato (with butter since she was out of sour cream,) and peaches.

Lilli stepped over Ludwig who was still feasting on his own dinner and bypassed the large round table (which was way too big for someone who lived by herself and served for housing her purse, most of her junk mail, and various other things) and set her plate down on her coffee table instead. And instead of sitting down on the couch, she settled herself on the floor between the couch and coffee table, using the couch as a backrest.

She grabbed the remote and turned her TV onto the news channel. It was only seven-thirty but they were already discussing the election as nine o'clock neared and the results.

"_It's been speculation but nearly all the numbers are saying that Quincy Sharp is the candidate that will win." _The newscaster, Carol Bevins, was saying.

"_I wouldn't count Marie James out just yet. She's had some good challenges against Sharp's campaign." _Carol's co-host, Harold Bridge, countered.

"_The only reason why Sharp has gotten so far was how he handled the hostile takeover of Arkham Asylum six months ago," _Harold continued. "But we seem to forget that the disaster happened under his very nose. If Quincy Sharp is unable to keep order in Arkham Asylum, how will he be able to run Gotham?"

He had some excellent points, Lilli thought as she cut into her chicken.

"_And Sharp has addressed that issue before." _Carol said. "In his speech at City Hall he said his experiences at Arkham have given him the initiative to tackle the root of Gotham's problems—the crime. He has promised that if he is elected, he will give Gotham the solution that will make it a peaceful city as long as he is mayor."

"_James has also given us actual examples of what she'll do if elected." _No doubt Harold was referring to the fact that Sharp refused to tell what his solution was—he wanted to keep the public hanging._ "And these examples include the rebuilding of Blackgate and harsher sentences. She has stated "there will be no more rehabilitation for them. Instead, the criminals of Gotham must face time under tighter security. Arkham's breakout average is two months. Every two months a criminal will escape back into Gotham to murder, steal, and destroy. We need to come up with a plan to keep them off the streets for longer and I have that plan."_

Lilli remembered that speech. Many of the security guards had been disgruntled that Marie James had insulted them. But she never realized that the average breakout at Arkham was two months. And that was true, she realized with a start. She had been working there for almost two months and the Riddler broke out two nights ago. A shudder went through her when she thought about him. So far, she didn't have any trouble from him.

She tuned out the two reporters who were going back and forth about Sharp's and James' ability to run Gotham or not. She finished her chicken and broccoli and began to work on the potatoes.

However Ludwig jumped into her lap, seemingly done with his own dinner. But he stretched his neck out, sniffing at her baked potato. "Oh no you don't." Lilli looped an arm around his middle, picked him up, and dropped him on the floor next to her. "My dinner."

"_It is now eight o'clock. The poles will only be open for one more hour so if you haven't voted, go vote."_

When she had gotten out of work at five, she had gone down to vote. But she sat in the cubicle for a few minutes with the pen hovering over the bubbles for Mayor Candidate. In the end she selected Marie James because whenever she thought about Sharp becoming Mayor, a deep foreboding feeling settled in her belly.

"Keep your paws crossed that people actually have sense and didn't believe Sharp about him stopping the Joker takeover." Lilli said to Ludwig. He just looked at her before returning his gaze to her potato.

"If I wanted someone to ogle my food while I'm eating then I should've gotten a dog." She muttered to him.

"Mrow."

-x-

After Lilli finished her food, she put her dishes in the sink and flopped down onto her sofa. She idly flipped through the channels, waiting for nine o'clock to come and ballet results to start coming in. Ludwig jumped up onto her stomach and settled down for another nap while Lilli absentmindedly petted him. Soon enough, the cat was purring contentedly.

Eventually, she settled on a crime drama to pass away the hour. After the killer had been caught and arrested, she switched back to the news channel and found an image of Vicki Vale in front of City Hall.

"_This is Vicki Vale reporting to you live from Gotham City Hall. The polls are closing in three minutes and I am amidst many people eagerly awaiting the results of the election. Many people here are in favor of Quincy Sharp but Marie James has some supporters among the crowd."_

The camera panned over the crowd to reveal many people holding up signs of Sharp's face and cheering. Lilli felt a cold feeling go through her again.

"_I'm just getting words that it is nine o'clock and the polls have just closed…"_

The screen switched back to the newsroom while they waited for results. Lilli sat up, making Ludwig unhappily jump off, and went into the kitchen to make tea. She felt nervous about this election. She felt as if something big was tied to this one.

By nine-ten, Lilli was back on her couch, sipping chamomile tea and the first result was coming in. Sharp had gotten the majority in that district, putting him ahead. And ten minutes later, Sharp had three more districts while James had only gotten one.

He needed four more districts and he had Mayor in the bag.

"This isn't good." Lilli spoke aloud as Sharp got his fifth district while James got her second. Her bad feeling continued and within the hour it was clear: Quincy Sharp was to be Gotham's next Mayor.

Lilli watched in sadness as Sharp took the podium outside City Hall. He lifted his hands in triumph and the crowd went wild.

"_Gotham!"_ He shouted. _"I thank you all for your support. It's been a long road but our hard work as finally paid off. As Mayor, I will address the biggest problem facing Gotham: the criminal activity."_

"_My tenure as Warden at Arkham Asylum and part in the violent uprising ten months ago made me realize that new regulations have to be made. Holding the criminals that plague this city in Arkham and Blackgate isn't enough."_

There was more cheering at this.

"_In the event of being elected as Mayor, I had brought a plan before the City Hall. And now I can act on this plan. Effective as soon as possible, I am shutting down Arkham Asylum for good."_

_**What?**_ What did he just say?

Lilli froze in her spot. Did Sharp just say he was going to shut down the Asylum?

"_City Hall as agreed to approve my plan of moving the inmates to a new location where they will never wreak havoc on Gotham again. The northern section of Gotham shall be walled off and the inmates will be imprisoned inside the city known as Arkham City."_

Lilli's cell rung and she answered it when the caller I.D. showed it was Sarah calling.

"_Are you watching this?"_ Sarah cried on the other end.

"Yeah, I am. I can't believe this."

"_What's going to happen to our jobs if he closes the asylum?"_

"I don't know." Lilli replied. But she had a good guess: they'd be out of a job.

"_This may sound so far-fetched to you fine citizens of Gotham. But make no mistake. It is the best decision for Gotham. Construction of the wall will begin later this week thanks to an anonymous fund and by no later than the end of the month the criminals will be locked away forever, leaving this city in peace!"_

"_He can't be serious."_ Sarah said.

"I think he is." Lilli replied nervously as people began to cheer. "And I think the general population is agreeing with this."

"_I can't believe it."_

Neither could she. "How did he get the funding and approval for this? The entire northern section will have to be cleared out of civilians, where are they going to live? Are they really just going to evacuate everything?"

"_He must have been working on it with City Hall while he was campaigning."_ Sarah said thoughtfully. _"Oh, I have to go. My mother's calling me. No doubt to talk about my job status. I'll see you tomorrow. Hopefully."_

"You too." Lilli hung up.

Her mind was whirling. How the hell was this Arkham City thing going to work? Was it really going to be safe for Gotham to let the most dangerous criminals have complete run of an an abandoned section of the city? And what was she going to do if her job was going to be terminated by the asylum closing. _And I just started too. And I was going to be kept on full time._

She turned off the TV, glaring at the image of Sharp before he disappeared. "I really should have stayed at Gotham General." She groused.

Fortunately, her mother didn't call her that night. No doubt she had turned in early because Mayor elections never mattered to her. So Lilli didn't have to worry about phone calls until sometime tomorrow.

Instead, she made a note to contact her former boss at the hospital in case her job really was finished at Arkham. Then she would have to talk to Human Resources about anything else to help tie up loose ends.

To be honest, she had never expected this when she came to Arkham. And so much for her pay-off-loans-two-years-earlier-than-expected plan. So much for that, she thought glumly.

Ideas kept going through her head as she prepared for bed. She changed into her pajamas and went into her bathroom to brush her teeth.

There were a few good things that came from working at Arkham. One, she had some diverse work experience on her resumé. Two, she had met Sarah. And three, Jeff.

Jeff was great. He was nice if a little rough around the edges when it came to work. But she felt he was worth the effort and she decided that she would get to know him more on Friday.

She leaned over the sink, spit the toothpaste out, and turned on the faucet. After rinsing a few times, she stood up, wiped her mouth with a towel, and put her toothbrush back into the medicine cabinet. She closed the cabinet and screamed.

Standing behind her, reflected in her mirror, was Edward Nygma.

They moved at the same time. She whipped around, fumbling for anything to use as a weapon, and he lunged forward. When his hands enclosed each of her wrists, she opened her mouth to scream again.

In one fluid motion he let go of one of her wrists and twirled her around like they were dancing but then his free hand went around her midsection, clamping her arms down and his other hand covered her mouth to prevent her from screaming. Immediately, Lilli tried to wiggle away from him and her hands went up to claw at his arm around her.

"Now, now Lilli." Edward said in her ear, tickling it with his breath. "Don't struggle. It won't do you any good." His grip tightened on her slightly, forcing her to still against his body. "I'm going to take my hand off and if you scream, you'll be punished. Understand?"

Lilli swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded. She didn't have a choice.

He chuckled once before letting his hand fall. "Good girl."

She felt him move behind her and her eyes flicked forward to watch him in the mirror. His head bent into the crook of her neck as if to nuzzle the skin.

He had changed out of the Arkham jumpsuit since he escaped. Now he was wearing his trademark Riddler clothes: glasses with purple-tinted lenses, a white dress shirt, green slacks, the green blazer with the golden questions marks, and purple fingerless gloves. But the cane and bowler hat were missing.

Edward brought her out of her thoughts when he took a deep breath, nose still in the crook of her neck. He was smelling her.

Lilli squirmed uncomfortably in his grip and then he lifted his head and their eyes locked in the reflection of the mirror. "Riddle me this." He spoke and stood up again. His free arm wrapped around her body, pinning her to him completely. "_You saw me where I never was and where I could not be. And yet within that very place, my face you often see. What am I?_"

"My reflection." She said quietly.

"An easy one." He smirked. Reluctantly, he let go of her and turned her around to face him. Still smirking, he looked her up and down. "I must say, my dear, it is so very nice to see you out of that stuffy lab coat."

She flushed. Her pajama ensemble consisted of a thin camisole and old sweatpants. She felt exposed and didn't like the look in his eyes. In a desperate attempt to take control of the situation, she crossed her arms over her chest. "Why are you here?"

Much to her disdain and terror, Edward began to laugh. "Isn't it obvious, my dear Lilli? I'm here so we can celebrate my leaving that prison called an asylum."

"You escaped." She couldn't help but correct him.

He didn't answer her but merely grinned. "An easy feat for a genius like me."

In her mind, she mentally went over what she could remember from his file. Edward Nygma was a textbook narcissist and had a compulsive need for attention. He left puzzles and riddles for people to solve because not only did it give him the ego boost and attention he needed but it also proved his intellect over the ones who couldn't solve his riddles.

She distinctively remembered reading that he refused to acknowledge that he had a problem and would react very negatively and violently if someone pointed out he had a disorder or insulted his intelligence. And Lilli was not willing to test if she was exempt from his violent tendencies.

"I see." She said carefully. "According to the guards, you've been getting out of your cell for a long while. Was that how you got my name?"

"Why don't we leave this bathroom?" He said lightly. He gripped her arm firmly. "As much as I love being in an enclosed space with you, this is no place for a proper conversation."

He guided her into her living room and set her down on the couch before lazily stretching himself out on the couch and ended up putting his arm around her shoulders. Lilli willed herself not to tense as his fingers began to tangle themselves in her hair. Instead, she gripped onto the couch tightly.

"It's softer than I thought." He commented offhandedly.

"How did you find my apartment?"

"Child's play, my Lilli." She wasn't looking at him but she could imagine the large smile plastered on his face.

They sat there in silence. There were so many questions running through Lilli's mind: why her? How much of her personal life did he know? What's going to happen now? She didn't voice them because not only she didn't have the courage but because she didn't want to know the answers.

Edward didn't say anything either. He seemed content to sit there and idly play with her hair. Until Lilli made a small gasp when his fingers swiped across the base of her neck. "Something wrong?"

"N-no." Lilli said quietly.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you." He commanded. Slowly, she turned her head to look at him. "That's better. Now, my dear, is there something wrong?"

She finally managed to force one of her questions out. "Why me?"

Something shifted in his eyes. He moved, putting his hands on either side of her on the couch rest. Instinctively, she tried to back away but when her back hit the armrest she knew she was trapped. Edward leaned down towards her until their noses were nearly touching.

She didn't want to look at him but she ended up staring at him straight in the eyes. "It was so _boring_ in there, trapped in a place where I didn't belong and with all those shaved monkeys that called themselves doctors." He said. "But then you come along, this beautiful medical doctor, and you _asked_ for a riddle! And then you delight me even further by solving it! And not just one! _Three_!"

His eyes were boring into hers now. "And I _knew_." His voice dropped to a low whisper. "I knew that you were there for _me_. That you were the_ one._"

_Oh god._ His delusions were even worse than she originally thought. How did she handle this? How did she handle him? "I—you can't do this, Edward. I'm a person." She tried to protest.

"Of course you are, my dear! A person whose apartment number I know, whose license plate I know, and whose phone number I know." Lilli felt her face drain of color as his list went on. "And even..." He smiled eerily and leaned forward even more until his mouth reached her ear and whispered nine numbers in her ear.

It was her social security number. Lilli turned completely pale. "You can't—how did you get that information?"

"Oh Lilli." He leaned back and brought his hand over to trace her cheek and smiled in glee at her pale face and wide eyes. "You forget—I'm the _Riddler._ I'm a genius. So now I'm sure you want to be very _compliant_ with me or else I will make your life very difficult."

Before she could say anything else, he pressed his mouth against hers in a kiss. This time she stiffened and her hands came up to press on his chest. He lingered for a moment longer before pulling back. "A little too unresponsive for my tastes. You'll learn to accept my touch."

She didn't want to learn _anything._ She wanted him far away from her. Edward pulled away and stood up. Lilli scrambled up and placed some distance between them.

"As much as I'd like to stay and chat some more, my dear. It seems I must cast my attention elsewhere since Sharp has gotten himself the position of Mayor and is trying to lock the criminals away for good." He came up to her once more.

"Now, now my Lilli." He said when she flinched away. He gripped her chin with his hand and made her look at him. "_Each morning I appear to lie at your feet. All day I will follow no matter how fast you run. Yet I nearly perish in the midday sun. What am I?_"

This one took Lilli a moment as she repeated it over in her head. When she connected the object at her feet and the midday sun, she got it. "My shadow."

"_Excellent._" He came in closer. "Even if you can't see me, I will _always_ be watching you, Lilli. If you try to tell anyone about me, I will know. And there will be severe consequences." In that moment, he was no longer Edward Nygma but the Riddler. And she knew that he would carry out his promise, demented love or no.  
>"Do you understand, Lilli?"<p>

"Yes."

"Good." He kissed her once more and Lilli screwed her eyes shut. "Soft." He murmured as he pulled away. "Everything about you, so soft. So _breakable_."

Finally, he left her alone. He grabbed his bowler hat and cane which were resting on her table. "I'll be in touch, dear." And then he left, _out the front door._

The second she heard the _click_ of her door closing, she lost it. She slid down to the floor and her bottom lip trembled. She let out a gasp and then the tears came. He _knew_. He knew _everything._ Her knew her phone number, her license plate, even her social security number!

Her job was in jeopardy and now _he_ had to waltz into her apartment like he owned it and threaten her with her own sense of security. It was too much. Too much. She buried her face in her hands and cried.

-x-

**A lot's going on now that Sharp's been elected Mayor. To tell you the truth, my town's so small that we don't have a Mayor. So I have no idea when Mayors are elected. XD**

**Reviews, favorites, and follows are love! See ya in chapter eight!**


	8. Crisis

"_Effective as soon as possible, I am shutting down Arkham Asylum for good."_ Quincy Sharp announced on the TV. _"City Hall as agreed to approve my plan of moving the inmates to a new location where they will never wreak havoc on Gotham again. The northern section of Gotham shall be walled off and the inmates will be imprisoned inside the city known as Arkham City."_

Dr. Hugo Strange leaned back in his chair as he watched his puppet dance. The public would believe that construction would begin later in the week but honestly the moment Sharp had gotten the approval from City Hall, the construction began. His people had already begun to build within the northern section, restoring Wonder Tower, and empty the homes and businesses out.

It was only a matter of time before his final design would be complete. Everything was going as planned.

His phone rang. No doubt it was Sharp calling to gloat. Strange let it ring a couple more times before answering it. "Strange."

_"I won by a landslide."_ Sharp boasted on the other end. _"James didn't stand a chance!"_

"I know." Strange replied calmly. He turned down the volume of the recording as Sharp continued to talk eagerly about the public and how they ate up everything about Arkham City.

"Mayor," Strange interrupted. "Have you been taking your medication?"

"_I—"_ The Mayor paused. _"I skipped my dose tonight. For the election."_ He sounded sheepish.

"It is vital that you continue to take the medication." Strange replied coolly.

"_Yes—I will take it right now."_

"Good. You have a long month ahead of you especially with the pep rally in two days. Now, hang up the phone, take your medication, and go to bed."

"_I will do that."_ Sharp hung up.

_Imbecile,_ Strange thought. But his puppet had gotten one thing right: he delivered Gotham right to him.

He stood up and gazed out at Arkham Island. In time, many employees would be frantically asking about their jobs. And then he would rise up to offer them positions within his project. After all, he needed more _test subjects._

-x-

Lilli barely slept at all during the night. She had somehow managed to crawl into bed and hugged Ludwig to her chest. The cat somehow sensed her distress and didn't make a fuss except when Lilli squeezed him too tightly.

When the adrenaline wore off, she slipped into sleep but then the Riddler's face flashed before her eyes. He would lean down as if to kiss her like he did and then she'd jolt awake.

She was dreading what the day would bring.

-x-

The island was abuzz when Lilli arrived. "Dr. Collins, good morning." A guard greeted her. "They're holding a meeting for the medical staff in the Medical Facility."

"Thank you." She dropped her bag off in her office before heading over to the Medical Facility.

Everyone had gathered in a meeting room where there were chairs facing a singular podium. Jeff waved at Lilli the moment she entered.

"Morning, Lilli." Jeff said as Lilli sat in the seat next to him.

"Morning." Lilli replied.

There was a quiet buzz in the room as people discussed what would happen to Arkham and their jobs. Would they get severance?

Before long, the Human Resources representative took the podium. "Thank you for coming. And let me start by saying that this turn of events was completely unexpected."

The man looked tired, Lilli realized. It seemed like Sharp didn't tell anyone about his plans. He must've caught HR completely by surprise.

The representative opened a large folder. "We were given packets early this morning that contain details of what will happen in Arkham by month's end. First, funding for the repairs will no longer come in. Anything that can go to the asylum will go to the city project." There were some angry clamors at that.

"Second, jobs will be filtered out during the month. It will start in the psychiatry department, then the medical department, the staff, and finally the security. As the inmates are deposited into Arkham City, there will be no need for these people on staff."

"Bullshit." Jeff said quietly.

"And finally, Arkham will shut down for good once it is reported that Arkham City is up and running." The man flipped another page. "The only thing I can tell you is start polishing up your resumes and start looking for new jobs. I've heard Gotham General is understaffed and there are some private clinics outside the city."

A murmur went through the group. It seemed like they would indeed be losing their jobs. Someone raise their hand. "Will we be getting pensions or anything to support us as we leave?"

"Yes. We have information about that in these packets you will receive. Anyone else?"

Lilli tuned out as more questions came out. Her mother called her early this morning, happily crowing about Arkham shutting down. And all Lilli had to say she was disappointed she wouldn't be able to pay her student loans earlier than she hoped.

If a certain criminal had stayed locked up, she wouldn't have minded the asylum's close. But now that he was out, how was he going to evade capture?

"Lilli." Jeff brought her out of her thoughts. He handed her a packet. "Here."

"Thanks." She took it.

They left the room, heading for their respective medical rooms. "Do you have an idea of what you're going to want to do after this place shuts down?" Jeff asked.

"I have a former colleague at Gotham General. I was going to give her a call. She was sad to see me leave for Arkham, I'll bet she'll be happy to have me back."

"Yeah…" Jeff trailed off. "I'm not sure what I want to do. A surgeon's schedule at hospitals is pretty hectic. And new ones are always on the third shift. I don't want to leave Annabelle by herself."

"I'm sure you've got time to decide." Lilli reassured him. "Who knows how long it will take for this new Arkham City to go up."

"Doesn't mean we'll be around," Jeff said grimly. "You heard the HR guy. We'll be out by the end of the month."

-x-

Things were hectic in the Mansion when Lilli came by. Files were being brought out of the library and packed away in boxes. "What's going on?" She asked a guard.

"Files are being put away in the new headquarters for Arkham City." Dr. Whistler approached. She looked rather grumpy. "They mean to empty everything by the end of the week."

Lilli's jaw dropped. "Everything?"

Dr. Whistler nodded. "Everything. They even want the psychiatric notes and research on all the patients."

"Why?" She said blankly. "I thought Sharp intended to just drop all the criminals off behind a wall and let them have at each other."

"I do not know. Whoever's heading this project wants them. They won't even let us keep our backups. They want every single copy ever made. Which reminds me, do you still have your notes from both medical and psychiatric?"

"Yes."

"Round them up. Someone will be by to collect them."

-x-

_Can you believe it Lilli? They've taken away _all_my notes about Jervis Tetch! Even my backups! Sharp was not kidding about wanting all information about the patients taken away. How're things on the medical side?_

_-Sarah_

Lilli leaned back in her chair. She had gotten a company email from Sharp about the rounding up information. He had claimed it was for the safety of both the patients and personnel but Lilli had her suspicions. It had to be more than that.

All of her files she had collected were uploading to a central file that she would print and file accordingly. Nearly all of them had been medical examinations on the small time inmates. Those that had been severely injured during Joker's take over. She didn't have anything that was a special case…

…Wait.

She sat up and leaned closer to her computer and paused the file upload. She scrolled down to a different file and stared at the title: _JokerMedExam_.

That was the only large medical exam she performed on a patient. Even though another doctor finished up for her after she was head-butted in the face, the results of the test were sent to her. Everything about that medical exam was in the file including Joker's blood work and the effects of Titan.

The effects of Titan were kept under wraps in order to keep the public from panicking. Lili herself didn't even know what Titan was capable of until she received Joker's blood work. Didn't she have a duty as a doctor to make sure information like this went to the right hands if an antidote needed to be synthesized? Would this situation fall under the Hippocratic Oath?

_Don't do it Lilli._ A voice in her head whispered. _Just leave it alone._ She had no incentive, no reason to do what she was thinking. But she did it anyway. It was her duty as a doctor. She dug through her bag and pulled out her personal flashdrive and stuck it into the computer tower and made a copy of the file.

-x-

"That's weird." A tech commented to his coworker.

"What?" The other tech looked over in mild interest.

"Nothing. Just an anomaly in the system."

"Get it fixed before this is sent over to Sharp. We don't want any holes."

-x-

"Sharp has to be the most pretentious person I have ever met." Lilli said glumly through the phone as she watched Sharp's pep rally. "He's been Mayor for only day. Not only is he creating this controversial Arkham City but he's making a pep rally for it."

"_Don't even get me started. He oversaw our file transfer. Do you know what he said to me when I protested the movement of both my notes and Tetch? That this was for the best! Obviously, he hasn't seen or read anything I sent to him about Tetch."_ Sarah complained right back.

"What's wrong with him?"

"_Normally, he goes on and on about finding his 'Alice' and various other things that are synonymous with the book. But lately, he's been babbling about needing his Alice like his life depends on it. He can't keep a straight thought. It's like someone turned his hypnotism on him. I tried to petition moving him to a private facility instead of Arkham City but no luck. Some of patients aren't going to get the help they need if they're locked away with complete psychos like the Joker."_

"So you don't think they should be locked away?"

"_No. We're here the help them. We can't do that if Arkham City goes through."_

"What about Victor Zsasz? Do you think he can still be helped?"

There was silence.

_"Victor Zsasz,"_ Sarah's voice was steely, _"deserves to be put down."_

"So you agree that some can't be helped. Like the Joker or Zsasz. They'll keep doing what they're doing because they can."

"_So are you behind this?"_

Lilli was quiet. "I think there are some people who need to be kept away."

Unfortunately, that person knew where she lived and most likely had a key to her apartment. Would Edward be able to evade capture and continue haunting her? Should she go to the police?

"So what're you going to do after you leave the asylum?" Lilli tried to change the subject.

"_I've been in contact with some private facilities up in New York. I want to work with people who aren't criminally insane."_

"Sounds like a good plan. I've only been here, what, two months and I feel like I've been put through the ringer. And I'm only medical."

_"Consider yourself lucky you weren't there longer. Or on then night Joker took over."_

"What happened? If you don't mind me asking."

"_I can't really say for sure. I was holed up in the Medical Facility for all of it. But I remember when Joker's goons came through looking for Dr. Young. But before anything bad happened, Batman showed up."_

"That's good, I suppose." Lilli surmised. "I was working in Gotham General that night. We had a lot of injured guards come in. It was hectic."

"_Why do you think they do what they do?"_ Sarah asked suddenly. _"Terrorize Gotham, steal things, kill people, dress up like circus rejects."_

Lilli was about to say she didn't know when a sudden movement on her television caught her eye. "Hey, you watching this?" She asked.

"_Of course—oh my God."_

Two gigantic monsters wee wreaking havoc at the city hall. One male, one female. Both were severely deformed with bones sticking out of their skin. One crashed into the building. People screamed and ran as Batman swooped onto the scene before the camera cut out.

_Boom_. Outside her window, a faint orange glow appeared in the distance. Lilli felt a chill go through her. She didn't know why criminals would attack Sharp at his pep rally but the reason couldn't be good. And it would give everyone an incentive to consider Arkham City. "I think I know why they do it." Lilli said at long last. "They're insane."

-x-

The people who attacked City Hall were called T&T, a brother-sister duo working for the Joker. They had dosed themselves with Titan. And just as Lilli predicted, Arkham City was green-lighted and Sharp was given martial law.

Because of that, Sharp was given absolute authority over Arkham City and reported it would be up and running within the month.

"_We've already begun evacuating people out of these areas."_ Sharp said at his press conference. _"And we are establishing multiple contracts to build the wall that will surround Arkham City."_

On a further note, Sharp stated Wonder Tower would be used as headquarters instead of the asylum. Lilli remembered the tall tower that was in various states of disrepair but it was one of the oldest buildings in Gotham.

"_Once the walls are up, we will transfer the criminals into the city where they will no longer be a threat to the good people of Gotham."_ There were cheers at this.

Lilli palmed her flashdrive which still contained the file on Joker. Since taking it, she often wondered why she made the copy. What on Earth could she do? Did she hand it over to Gotham PD? Or even better, should she somehow get it into the hands of Batman?

Last night, after the attack, she studied the file more closely. The long term effects it had on Joker were meticulously listed and trace amounts of Titan still existed in his blood. Without treatment, it was uncertain if the chemical would disappear.

Titan's properties were listed and described. If she handed it over to a chemist or someone with more than a degree in Internal Medicine, an antidote or a cure could be manufactured because Lilli would bet everything she owned that there was more Titan out there.

If Batman had it, he could stop the villains with Titan and there would be no need for Arkham City.

Lilli said and put the flash drive back in her desk drawer. Titan cure or no, Gotham was in a crisis as long as Quincy Sharp was mayor.

-x-

**And that wraps up chapter eight! We're slowly moving towards Arkham City. But don't worry, I've got some things planned between now and then. It'll be fun.**

**Reviews, favorites, and follows are love! See ya in chapter nine!**


	9. Date

Jonathan Crane did not expect Batman to find him after he took that unfortunate swim in the Asylum's sewers.

He had gotten away from that mindless animal Croc with a well-placed needle jab to the mouth, causing Croc to drop him.. And he didn't stick around to wait for the creature to come back and finish the job. He found his way out through the derelict sewer system into the bay and swam for Gotham City, cursing the Dark Knight with all his being.

His first plan was to find one of his hideouts and regroup from there. He'd find his some of his henchmen loafing around, no doubt waiting for his return and then he would go back to work and make Batman pay for what he'd done (humiliating him, fighting against his fear toxin, and almost feeding him that _beast_.)

And for a while, it went smoothly. He pulled off some thefts from pharmaceutical companies in order to stock up on his toxin before the Batman caught up to him. And with the some blows to Jonathan's skull and ribs, he was knocked out and on his way back to Arkham Asylum.

Jonathan lounged against the wall in his cell. He was patient. All Batman did was stew his hatred of the caped crusader. He _would_ bring the Batman to his knees in fear. And then Gotham would fall to fear.

But first, he had to get out of the asylum.

For a bit, he considered to following Nygma's idea and slip quietly out during shift change but one) he didn't want Nygma to think he was copying him and two) the number of guards doubled in order to ensure no more breakouts.

So he came up with a Plan B.

Footsteps sounded in the distance and the guard rounded the corner. Jonathan watched him carefully until he disappeared from sight. _Now._

He stood up and carefully slipped through his cell bars (he was thin enough to do so and no one had the thought to move him to a cell with an actual door.) He had ten minutes to get back into his cell before the next guard strolled by.

He had to get into the Penitentiary. That was no small task.

He moved quickly and into one of the broken vents. He'd gone this way many times. Normally, he would take a left down under the elevator to his hidden lair but this time he went right, into Arkham West.

He ducked down into a nearby shrubbery and scanned for the guards. Good, they were looking the other way. He dashed for the stairs.

Navigating the Penitentiary was easy. After all, this had been his asylum at one point. Sharp had done nothing to change it after his arrest. He dodged guard after guard until he found his way to one very special room.

Jonathan smirked. "Hello Ivy."

-x-

Lilli nervously chewed on her thumbnail as she listened to the hold music. She never remembered being put on hold before when she called the hospital. How many people were asking for jobs at Gotham General?

Then the phone picked up, _"Dr. Brewer."_

"Dr. Brewer, hi. It's Lilli Collins."

"_Lilli! It's nice to hear from you. But I doubt it's for catching up. You're looking to see if you can get your old job back."_

Just like Dr. Brewer: straight to the point. "I'm inquiring about positions available at Gotham General. I understand you're understaffed," Lilli explained.

"_Understaffed is an understatement. But with budget cuts, there's not much wiggle room. I'm sorry Lilli, you'd know I'd hire you back in a heartbeat but you'll have to jump through the hoops like everybody else. I'll set up an interview for you and put a recommendation through. But that's all I can do."_

"I'll take it." Lilli said. She didn't mind. Dr. Brewer was a greatly respected doctor at Gotham General. She'd have an edge.

"_Send in your resume to Human Resources and they'll be in touch. I'll work on a recommendation letter. Good luck."_

"Thank you." She hung up, feeling cheered. Her resume would be in the works by tomorrow and she'd most likely have another job before Arkham closed.

There was a knock on her door and Lilli's heart skipped a beat. _It's not him._ She told herself. He wouldn't knock; he'd walk straight in like last time, surprising her. But it didn't stop her from cautiously making her way over to the door and checking the peep hole. It was Jeff.

She sighed in relief and opened it. "Hi."

"Hey." He held out a bouquet of flowers. "You look great."

"Thank you." He told her to dress nice and so she defaulted to the little, strapless black dress that made her look a couple years younger and a pair of red high heels. She even took the time to straighten her hair and put it up in a classy bun.

She took the bouquet. A grin slipped out when she noticed what they were: large, pink stargazer lilies. "Lilies. Because my name's Lilli. Clever."

Jeff tried to look sheepish but kept on smiling. "Confession time," he said, "I took Annabelle with me to the flower shop and I was dead set on getting you roses but she insisted that I get you lilies because your name was Lilli. And she wouldn't have it any other way."

Lilli laughed. "That is really cute. I love them. Be sure to tell her that."

"Will do."

"Let me put these in water and we can be on our way." She went back into her kitchen and deposited them into a vase. "Ready?"

"Of course." He offered his arm to her and she took it.

-x-

The restaurant turned out to be Acquerello, one of the best Italian restaurants in the city. "I thought it was near impossible to get a reservation here," Lilli said in amazement as Jeff helped her out of the car.

"The manager is an old college friend of mine. I called in a favor," Jeff said, sounding proud.

"Hardy. Table for two," Jeff said to the host as they entered. The host led them to a small table on the second floor, overlooking the ground floor.

"Very nice." Lilli smiled as Jeff helped her into her chair.

It was a gorgeous restaurant: elegantly designed like an Italian rotunda, the floors and columns were built out of marble, candles were strewn about along with low-light chandeliers, and there was a small pool in the middle of the room. It was lovely.

"Good evening." A man approached them and set menus down. "I am Jack and I'll be taking care of you this evening. Can I start you off with drinks or do you want a moment with the wine list?"

"Uh, well," Jeff looked at her, "I'm not much of a wine drinker."

"Let me," Lilli said smoothly and took the list. She scanned it quickly. "We'll have a bottle of the Saracco Moscato d'Asti, thank you."

"Excellent choice," He said. "I'll be back in a moment with your wine."

"Thank god," Jeff said when Jack left. "I didn't know what to pick."

"You strike me as the kind who would be prefer a beer over wine but I think you'd like moscato," Lilli said.

He grinned guiltily at her. "Any prospects on jobs yet?" He asked.

"I called my old boss today," she admitted. "She couldn't do much because of budget cuts but she said to send in my resume and she'd give me a recommendation. So that gives me a foot in the door. What about you?"

"I've sent some stuff into Gotham General and a few private practices but I haven't heard anything yet." He shrugged. "But it's only been a week since Sharp announced his plans."

"I can't believe he sprung this thing on us without warning. How many people live in the northern part of Gotham? The Gotham Bank is there, the subway, the church, even the courthouse. Where is all that going to go?"

"I don't know. But it's going to be hell emptying out that place. But the way I look at it: it'll keep the criminals away from innocent people."

"At what cost?" Lilli countered. "What's to stop them from getting out like they always do?"

"That I don't know."

Their conversation came to a stop as Jack returned with their wine. "The moscato." He opened the bottle and poured two glasses. "Are we ready to order?"

"Yeah, thank you. I'll have the chicken parmesan," Jeff said.

"And I will have the beef manicotti," Lilli ordered.

"Excellent. I will go put those orders in." Jack smiled and swept away.

Jeff picked up his wine glass and took a sip. "Sweet," he commented.

"Moscato can be a nice, light wine if you find the right kind." Lilli said as she took a drink. And this one was a good moscato.

"Good choice, Lilli." He praised and they clinked glasses.

"So," he said after they set their glasses down, "have you lived in Gotham all your life?"

"Yep. Born and raised here in Gotham," Lilli said. "You?"

"I moved here about four years ago when the Asylum offered me a job. The pay was good and I got Annabelle away from her mom. She didn't like moving away from her friends though. Wouldn't talk to me for a month. At least, not until I found a dance class for her."

"I imagine moving away from all you know at a young age can be hard. So where did you live before this?"

"San Francisco." Lilli gave him an incredulous look and he laughed. "I know. I abandoned warm California for ridiculously cold east coast winters."

"I would've stayed in California," She remarked. "I'd love to live somewhere where you rarely see snow."

"Annabelle was enamored with it the first time it snowed here. I don't think she'll forgive me ever again if we move. And besides," he reached across the table and took her hand, "if we hadn't moved here, I never would've met you."

"If I hadn't taken the job at Arkham," she corrected, "you never would've met me."

"I'm glad you did." They clinked glasses and drank some more.

-x-

Dinner was wonderful. The food was great and Jeff allowed her to finish most of the moscato (which might've been a mistake on Lilli's part but the wine was too good to pass up.)

"That was excellent," Lilli sighed in content as Jeff escorted her back to the car. She leaned against him, enjoying his warmth.

"I'm glad you liked it," Jeff replied and helped her into the car. He entered the driver's seat and turned to her. "But if you don't mind, I want to make another stop before taking you home."

"Where?" She asked.

Jeff turned on the car. "It's a surprise," he said mysteriously.

"Oh?" She lifted an eyebrow. "What if I don't like surprises?"

"Do you?"

"Maybe," she teased.

"Well then," he said and pulled out of the lot. "I'm taking you to meet someone."

He drove them out of the city and into the suburbs. Had Lilli drunk less wine at dinner she probably would have guessed where they were going but she didn't. Not until he pulled into a driveway of a small house.

"It's cute," Lilli cooed as she got out. Okay, now she was a little tipsy. She nearly stumbled on her heels but Jeff caught her arm at the last second. "I think I had a little too much wine," she admitted.

Jeff laughed. "I'll get you some water inside."

They entered the house. Instantly, Lilli was bathed in warmth from the heat and the house itself. The entryway was a nice beige color, accented by coat hooks and a key bowl.

"You can take your shoes off," Jeff said and Lilli gladly did so.

The entryway opened up into a living room, with a kitchen off to her left. There were some photo on the wall but there were many pictures and paintings drawn by a small child tacked up everywhere. Lilli examined one: it was of a small girl wearing a ballerina's outfit, smiling widely. Up top she read: _To Daddy. From Annabelle._

_So cute,_ Lilli thought.

Jeff walked up next to her and handed her a glass of water. "Annabelle drew that for me a couple months ago. If she doesn't become a dancer, I'm sure she'll be an artist," he joked. "Half of her room is covered in her drawings."

Lilli smiled, she could hear the pride in his voice as he talked about his daughter. _He really loves her._

"Mr. Hardy, you're back already?" A girl appeared from a hallway. She young, probably in her late teens dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, wearing glasses, and had half her head shaved.

"Hey Emma," Jeff greeted.

The girl now know as Emma looked over Lilli briefly before addressing Jeff. "It's almost Annabelle's bed time, she's dressed in her pajamas and her teeth are brushed. All she needs is her bed time story."

"Excellent," Jeff said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. He handed Emma a couple twenty dollar bills. "Thanks again."

"No problem," Emma said cheerfully. "I love watching Annabelle. She puts on dance shows for me," Emma flashed a grin Lilli's way. "She's such a sweetheart."

Jeff turned to Lilli as Emma put her coat and shoes on and left. "Emma lives a couple houses down from us. She babysits Annabelle when I can't get home from work on time."

"That's nice of her," Lilli said. Indeed, Emma seemed like a nice young girl.

"Daddy!" A small voice squealed.

A tiny girl dressed in pink My Little Pony pajamas jumped into Jeff's arms. Jeff picked the girl up and kissed her forehead. "Hey Snow Pea. You're still up?"

"I need a bedtime story," the girl pouted.

"Okay but first, I want to introduce you to someone." Jeff motioned to where Lilli stood and the girl turned to look at her.

Instantly Lilli noticed that the girl looked just like Jeff: same blonde hair and blue eyes. But her face was more round whereas Jeff's was square. And her nose was like a button as opposed to Jeff's long one.

"Annabelle, this is Lilli," Jeff introduced them. "Lilli, this is my daughter Annabelle."

Annabelle waved at Lillie but she clung tighter to Jeff like she was too shy to introduce herself and buried her face in his shoulder.

"Hey Annabelle," Lilli said softly as she approached, Annabelle peeked out at her. "I absolutely love the flowers you picked out for me today. They were the most beautiful flowers I ever saw."

Annabelle brightened at those words. "Really?" She asked excitedly. "I picked them out myself," she added proudly.

"And you did an amazing job," Lilli smiled.

Annabelle wrapped her arms around Jeff's neck and snuggled into him. "I want my bedtime story."

"Okay," Jeff said. He gave Lilli and apologetic look and walked down the hall. Lilli followed them.

He led them into a bedroom painted purple. The walls were adorned with posters of Barbie, My Little Pony, ballerinas, and Annabelle's drawings. The first three subjects were also toys that were scattered around the room. Books were piled onto a small, white bookshelf. And pushed against the middle of the room there was a pink and purple bed with a princess canopy.

Jeff set Annabelle down and she ran over to her bookshelf and pulled a book out. "This one!" She announced loudly.

Jeff picked her up again, swinging her as he did so and Annabelle squealed in delight. "Okay, that one." Jeff took the book from her and opened up the canopy and held the covers up so she could crawl under them. He tucked her in before settling next to her.

"Lilli, come sit next to me!" Annabelle cried.

Lilli looked a Jeff questioningly and he smiled and nodded. She made her way over to the bed and found her way into the canopy and sat down on Annabelle's other side.

"Okay." Jeff opened up the book and started to read, "Princess Penelope and the Terrible—"

"Wait!" Annabelle cried and snatched the book from his hands. "You have the wear the magic story-telling crown!"

"The what?" Lilli asked blankly.

And to her genuine surprise, Jeff flushed red. "I think we can go one night without it, Snow Pea," he said nervously.

"No." Annabelle pouted and crossed her arms. "You have to wear it."

Jeff sighed in defeat. He rolled over and reached for something on the floor. When he turned back to them, he was wearing a plastic pink and purple tiara on his head. His face was bright red.

Lilli tried to choke down her laughter but a tiny squeak came out. She attempted to disguise it as a cough but by the way Jeff glared at her, he wasn't fooled.

"Let's do this again," Jeff said as Annabelle handed him the book back with a grin. "Princess Penelope and the Terrible, Hungry Dragon..."

The book was quite lovely. A princess saving her kingdom by feeding the dragon ice cream so he couldn't set fire to anything because the ice cream melted his fire breath. And it was even better because Annabelle made Jeff do voices and Lilli would commit Jeff's high-pitched princess voice to memory forever.

Jeff closed the book and placed it on the bookshelf. "Goodnight Snow Pea," he said and kissed her on the forehead.

"Goodnight," Annabelle sleepily murmured back to him. "I love you."

"I love you more," Jeff said. He turned off the ballerina lamp next to her bed but he plugged something else into the wall. The top of Annabelle's canopy lit up dimly. Lilli looked up to see that small, white Christmas lights had been threaded along the top. They were Annabelle's nightlight, she realized.

"C'mon," Jeff said to Lilli. He and Lilli left the room and he closed the door behind the quietly.

"Well that was mortifying," Jeff said when he faced Lilli again. His face had returned to it's normal color with exception of his ears.

Lilli grinned broadly. "I thought it was cute."

"I'll take that as a good thing," Jeff said as they walked back into the living room. "Annabelle's wanted to meet you for a while now. I hope you didn't think I was too forward by bringing you here."

"Not at all," Lilli said as she admired another picture drawn by Annabelle (her as a princess.) "She's a very sweet girl."

"You should see her during the day." Jeff came up from behind her and wrapped his arms around her. His chin rested on her shoulder. "She's unstoppable."

"She seems like it. Headstrong and has her dad wrapped around her finger." Lilli swayed in Jeff's embrace.

"Oh yeah," Jeff agreed and his chest rumbled in laughter. "She definitely does."

"And I thought I couldn't expect any surprises from you," Lilli said softly.

"You've seen me in a tiara," he reminded her.

"I know," Lilli giggled. "And I will treasure this memory forever."

"You're terrible," Jeff complained to her and nuzzled her neck. Lilli laughed outright and spun around.

And the next moment, they were kissing.

Jeff was warm and sweet, he allowed her to decide where to go. He didn't pressure her, he didn't make any untoward moves. His hands rested on her shoulders, not going any lower.

They broke apart. Lilli met Jeff's eyes and he looked at her hazily. "Stay with me tonight, please?" He asked, his voice low.

For once her in her life, she didn't think about Edward Nygma out there, stalking her. She didn't think about her job in jeopardy. She just thought about Jeff and how safe she felt in his home—his arms. Her face flushed and a fire ignited in her lower body.

"Yes," Lilli breathed out and they kissed again.

-x-

**And that wraps up chapter nine. I was unsure of what direction I wanted to take in this chapter but I figured it out. It was fun to write this one.**

**But Arkham City looms close. There's not much time before Lilli's life is shaken even further. And what is Crane planning? And what will the Riddler do when he finds out about Jeff? Stayed tuned to find out!**

**Also, if any of you liked Arkham Origins, I have a BrucexOC story going on if you'd like to check it out!**

**Reviews, favorites, and follows are love. See you in chapter ten!**


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